A little over a month into the 2026 season, the Boston Red Sox are off to a less-than-ideal start. Their 12-19 record in April is a franchise-worst start for the first month. There were some slight concerns early on after the first couple of series. The panic button is in full force now that the Red Sox have almost played 20% of their games. So that begs the question: what are the issues with this team, and how can they be fixed?
The Three Biggest Red Sox Issues a Month into the 2026 Season
Issue #1: Lack of Consistent Starting Pitching
Earlier this season, about the third time through, Boston’s five-man rotation had a great turn. During that span, they had an ERA of 1.52 and four quality starts (six innings or more) out of the five outings. They let up five runs across those games, and also had extra help from the offense, going 4-1 in that turn.
But since then, it’s gone downhill. Granted, there were some key injuries that required roster moves. And if fans wanted to use that, it’s a fair excuse. But that can only last so long. Connelly Early is the best starter currently. Ranger Suárez is turning it around. But the rest of the rotation is iffy, particularly Brayan Bello.
While Bello has been a consistent piece in the rotation in past years, even being listed as a trade asset, 2026 has not been his year. He currently sits at a record of 1-4 with an ERA of 9.12, allowing more earned runs than strikeouts. Other than a good start versus the St. Louis Cardinals, where he went six innings, he’s failed to pitch past four in every other start.
The Solution: Payton Tolle
The best-case scenario for Bello is probably to take a stint in Triple-A Worcester when the rotation is back to normal in mid-May. With Bello needing a bit of a bounce back, Tolle might be the best option. In his season debut against the New York Yankees, he threw seven innings of one-run ball. His next outing against the Toronto Blue Jays was less exciting, but Toronto’s a team that was one game away from being World Series champions. He’s got 16 strikeouts in just under 11 innings this season. In terms of guys available outside the Opening Day rotation, Tolle seems like the best option.
Issue #2: Bullpen
The bullpen also has its fair share of issues as well, particularly the middle to long relief guys. Ryan Watson, Danny Coulombe, and Greg Weissert all have ERAs over five. Weissert and Coulombe both contributed to letting up the runs that contributed to the 4-2 loss to the Yankees a week and a half ago.
The Solution: Any Combination of the Young Guys
Most of the Red Sox rookies to debut in the majors this season have been pitchers who made appearances out of the bullpen. Tyler Samaniego and Eduardo Rivera are two of the three pitchers on the team who haven’t allowed a run. Granted, they’ve pitched a combined 11 ⅔ innings, so a small sample size. But it’s promising. Jack Anderson is another name who, while he has let up runs, holds it steady when the game’s already lost.
Tyler Samaniego has been a nice find for the Red Sox. He was a secondary piece in the Johan Oviedo deal.
8 Appearances
10.1 IP
0.00 ERA/3.05 FIP
7 Hits
8 K
4 BB
55.6 GB%Hasn’t allowed any inherited runs to score either. pic.twitter.com/0XVlr6NToo
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) May 3, 2026
The Red Sox were looking for some left-handed bullpen arms this season. These young guys show promise, and while finding space for them may be tricky, with more pitchers coming back from injury, at least one of them deserves to be with this current squad.
Issue #3: Lack Of Power
This has been a long-standing issue for Boston. The days of sluggers like David Ortiz, J.D. Martinez, and Rafael Devers hitting 35+ homers are gone. In fact, while Willson Contreras has seven, no one else on the team has over five. It’s a concern because Fenway Park is seen as one of the most hitter-friendly parks in all of baseball. And in years past, that was evident.
Take 2018, for example. The Red Sox had 208 homers as a team, 178 from the starting nine. Below is a breakdown of how many homers each starter had at home, compared to his total that season (starters according to the 2018 Red Sox stats page on Baseball Reference)
- Sandy Leon: Two of five
- Mitch Moreland: Six of 15
- Eduardo Nuñez: Six of Ten
- Xander Bogaerts: 15 of 23
- Devers: Nine of 21
- Andrew Benintendi: Seven of 16
- Jackie Bradley Jr.: Four of 13
- Mookie Betts: 13 of 32
- Martinez: 26 of 43
With the exception of JBJ, most players had at least 40-50% percent of the homers coming from Fenway. Now, 2018 is way too good a squad to be compared to this year. But the sentiment is there. Not that Nuñez is a bad player; he was very serviceable in his tenure here, but if he can hit six in Fenway, there’s no reason this squad can’t.
The Solution: Be Patient
While there are certainly realistic names out there on the free agent/trade market currently, with the skepticism of the front office, it’s better just to wait this out. These guys are talented hitters; it’s just a matter of getting that boost. Boston had a terrible April and May last year, and they still managed to get two guys who hit 20+. If there were an easier solution, they would’ve done something. But these guys can get it together.
Now, it’s still early. There are still around five months left of the season, but the Red Sox do need to turn things around, especially under a new coaching staff. The hope is that the new additions and improvements of the younger homegrown guys can bring them back to the playoffs and do better than last year.
Main Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
