The Boston Red Sox have had a rather strange start to the 2022 MLB season. They stumbled out of the gate and were sitting in last place in the American League East a month into the season. Boston flipped the switch entirely during May and June, though, rocketing themselves back up the AL standings. They have gone cold again right before the All-Star break, but are still firmly in the American League playoff picture.

Boston's turnaround has been their biggest storyline so far this season, but there have been a ton of surprises filled throughout the season for the Sox. Let's take a look at three of the Red Sox biggest surprises throughout the first-half of the 2022 MLB season as the All-Star break approaches.

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Boston Red Sox 3 biggest surprises from the 2022 MLB season so far

3. The overall struggles of the Red Sox lineup

Boston's lineup has been solid for much of the season. But they are primarily riding on the backs of their star players, as well as some unexpected contributions from midseason call-ups such as Rob Refsnyder and Franchy Cordero. But aside from that, the lineup has been somewhat disappointing.

To start, Bobby Dalbec and Jackie Bradley Jr. have been quite awful all season long. Both are barely hitting above .200 at this point in the season. They are both only in the lineup because of necessity at this point. On the bench, Christian Arroyo and Kevin Plawecki have provided little help when they are called upon to give a starter a day off which hasn't helped matters either.

Arguably the biggest disappointment in the lineup is Trevor Story. The Red Sox big free agent signing from this past offseason is hitting just .221. Sure, he has 15 home runs and 58 RBIs. But he has undeniably underwhelmed early on during his stint with Boston. Story, along with many of the Red Sox other contributors in the lineup, are going to have to pick things up during the second half of the season.

2. John Schreiber has emerged as the Red Sox best reliever from out of nowhere

Maybe one of the biggest surprises in the entire MLB has been the emergence of John Schreiber. Schreiber wasn't even on the major league roster at the beginning of the season, but he's now one of manager Alex Cora's biggest weapons out of the bullpen.

The 28-year old Schreiber has spent much of his career bouncing around the minors. But he's found a home in Boston's bullpen this season and the numbers have been great. Schreiber has a 2-1 record with a sparkling 1.10 ERA over 32.2 innings out of the ‘pen this season. He's struck out 39 batters and picked up three saves along the way, showing that he's earned Cora's trust in high-leverage situations.

Boston's bullpen is easily their biggest weakness, but Schreiber has helped cover up some of the holes. His emergence as a top-tier reliever from out of nowhere has saved the Sox ‘pen on a number of occassions, making him one of the team's biggest surprises as we reach the All-Star break.

1. Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers remain without long-term extensions 

Throughout the offseason, one of the biggest topics surrounding the Red Sox were the futures of Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers. Both guys were looking for extensions that Boston's front office ultimately didn't give them. And both guys have made the front office look foolish so far.

Both Bogaerts and Devers were selected as All-Stars for the American League this season and it's pretty clear why. Without these two guys leading the offense, Boston would still be at the bottom of the AL East.

Bogaerts remains one of the best hitters in the league as his .318 batting average shows, and while his power numbers are down (just seven home runs) he remains a key cog in the middle of Boston's order. Devers on the other hand has provided a unique blend of power (21 home runs) with contact (.326 batting average), solidifying his status as one of the best players in MLB.

Both of these guys deserve to get paid, and while neither sound too intent on discussing a new deal during the season, Boston's inability to lock them up to long-term deals has to be the biggest surprise of their season to this point. Without Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers, the Red Sox would be in a lot of trouble this season, and they are playing with fire by continuing to push off their contract talks.