The Red Sox don’t look right early on—but this isn’t just a roster problem. This is the after-effect of playing high-stakes WBC baseball right before the start of a 162-game season.
This team is not broken and while they could always add a power right-handed bat, this team is not lacking talent. They’re just… out of sync, and it’s across the board.
Aside from Opening Day, Roman Anthony hasn’t looked like the guy who led Team USA in home runs and RBIs. Jarren Duran doesn’t look like the same hitter who led the WBC in home runs either. In just 13 WBC plate appearances, Willson Contreras drove in three runs—already more than what he has in 26 major league plate appearances so far, with no extra-base hits to show for it. And Greg Weissert’s ability to miss bats? Gone… like Team Italy’s espresso machine.
That’s not coincidence. There’s a pattern—and a common thread.
A lot of these guys were just in the World Baseball Classic. And not just in it…They were deep in it. If you watched the Classic, then you felt the energy. These were in meaningful games. Big moments that meant something. These guys were representing their countries on a stage that felt like October baseball—in March.
That matters.
WBC baseball isn’t Spring Training. And it’s definitely not regular season baseball, where for much of the year, you live to play tomorrow. These games had win-or-go-home intensity. Stadiums were packed. Bars were full. Watch parties everywhere. There was national pride on the line.
For many players, the WBC was as meaningful—if not more—than anything they experience during the MLB season, including the World Series. Guys like Aaron Judge and Julio Rodriguez echoed that.
Now let’s consider how many Red Sox players went deep into the tournament.
Roman Anthony and Garrett Whitlock for Team USA, Brayan Bello for the Dominican Republic, Greg Weissert for Italy, and for the WBC champion Venezuela team—Ranger Suárez, Willson Contreras, and Wilyer Abreu. That’s seven players on the current 26-man roster.
These guys were playing high-intensity baseball all the way through March 17; then just days later returning to their Spring Training facilities to finish out camp before jumping straight into a 162-game season.
That’s a massive shift.
And no, im not gaslighting—there are real concerns.
You can point to the lack of a fearsome right-handed power bat in the middle of the lineup. You can point to the slow start from the new additions. But you’d also be making determinations way too early.
If you’re ready to give up on Ranger Suárez seven days into a 5-year, $130 million deal, then your panic might be the issue—not the player. The same goes for Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and really anyone still settling into a new role in Boston. And Caleb Durbin? Yeah… hard to defend him right now—but even that is far too early to truly define.
Because the issue here is bigger than individual production.
It’s the cohesion. The identity. The feel of the team.
It’s the expectations placed on these guys coming out of the WBC—Roman Anthony expected to be the face of the franchise, Jarren Duran expected to be the power—because of what they just did on an international stage.
This team didn’t get a real chance to gel in Spring. Too many core players were gone. And up to now, they’re still trying to find that rhythm together.
But here’s what I think.
After six games and two off days, this is the best opportunity they’ve had to reset, regroup, and finally settle in. I think the energy shifts and the true start to the Red Sox 2026 season and their World Series hopes start today—Opening Day at Fenway Park.