In the eyes of many fans, the struggling Red Sox had a disappointing offseason this past winter. For a team that made the Wild Card Series and looked like they were taking a step in the right direction, they didn’t get big names like people expected them to. Aside from a couple of big trades with St. Louis for Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray, they went for quieter (but solid, at least in their eyes) names, rather than resigning Alex Bregman or getting someone like Pete Alonso.
What Should the Red Sox Do with Struggling Third Baseman?
Third baseman Caleb Durbin was one of those names. After trading Rafael Devers midseason last year and letting Bregman walk in the offseason, they were in desperate need of a new guy at the hot corner. In February, they struck a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers to acquire Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, and Anthony Siegler in exchange for a return package that included Kyle Harrison (who they received in the Devers trade).
Durbin’s Struggles At The Plate
Overall, this season, Durbin’s bat has easily been the worst part of this trade. For a guy that had a decent rookie season, with a slash line of .256/.334/.387, there weren’t really star expectations for his sophomore season. But there was some expectation that he’d be a reliable bat that could gel with the rest of the lineup. But as of June 15th, he’s batting under the Mendoza line at .194. At one point last month, he was the worst-qualified hitter in all of baseball.
Struggles Continue in June
Despite one great game against the Tampa Bay Rays, in which he went three for four and hit two home runs (improving his season total to three homers), he went back into a slump. This past weekend against the Texas Rangers, he went 0-10 with one run, one RBI, and one walk.
This is a strange development after Aaron Judge’s personal hitting coach Richard Schenck posted a video of Durbin working with him this past Wednesday and he seemed to be swinging better. The results were there in Tampa, as he went four for nine in the series. Not to make excuses but in the Texas series, he did go up against two former All-Stars in Jacob DeGrom and Nathan Eovaldi this weekend, so it was a tough part of the rotation to go against already, especially for a guy struggling this much.
Where I found him.
Where did I get him?
Watch the head.
MLB allowed this head movement.
Private instructor encouraged that head movement.
I stopped that head movement. pic.twitter.com/dgD95oLnvh
— Richard Schenck, The Heretic JFD PPP LQC TTE. 🙂 (@Teacherman1986) June 10, 2026
What Should The Red Sox Do With Durbin?
Durbin’s a tricky player, as stated above; his bat is really struggling, and that’s almost enough reason to bench literally any other player with those statistics. But his glove is amazing. He ranks second in baseball, and first in the AL, in defensive runs saved at third base this year with eight (Matt Chapman has 13). He also ranks fourth in fielding percentage for third basemen this year. When comparing those numbers to the last full seasons of Bregman and Devers at third with the Sox:
- Durbin (so far): eight DRS, .975 Fielding %
- Bregman (2025): one DRS, .969 Fielding %
- Devers (2024): -9 DRS, .960 Fielding %
Durbin is clearly the better third baseman right now. The glaring problem is just his bat. So that opens up a question: if there comes a time when Durbin needs to be benched for an extended period of time, what would the infield look like? If looking at in-house production, Nick Sogard hits better and has done decently well at third. Marcelo Mayer has to play short with Trevor Story’s injury, so it’s best not to move him.
Outside help however could be interesting. Someone like Isaac Paredes, who Boston seems to be in endless rumors with, could be a major improvement at the plate, at least compared to Durbin currently. But it would also be a major downgrade at third, with his -3 DRS. Matt Shaw could be an interesting choice. Due to the Cubs stacked infield, as well as bringing in Bregman, he’s been moved all over the field. However, in his rookie year in ‘25 at third base, he posted a DRS of 12 (the third-best mark in baseball at that position).
The Last Word: Should Durbin Be Starting?
If Durbin’s struggles were the clear sore thumb around this team currently, there would be a resounding yes to the question of benching him. But honestly, it’s not the case. And despite team president Sam Kennedy’s words on WEEI last week, it’s still uncertain what their deadline plan is. There’s still plenty of time for a turnaround with 93 games left in the season, and Boston is just five games out of the last Wild Card spot.
For right now, the best bet is to wait and see on Durbin. If the bat starts to improve, even slightly into the .220’s, that’s fine. It’s a low bar, but at this point in this season, there have to be lower expectations in some areas.
Main Photo Credits: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
