The Boston Red Sox are on track to earn a spot in the American League playoffs for the first time since the 2021 season.
However, with slightly more than two weeks to go in the season, Alex Cora's team cannot take it's foot off the gas pedal and think that it will be smooth sailing ahead. The Red Sox and Yankees are tied for the the top Wild Card spot in the American League with the Seattle Mariners in the third spot. If the standings don't change when the regular season concludes Sept. 28, the the Red Sox and Yankees will meet in the Wild Card round.
The team with the better record will host each game in a best-of-3 series. If the two teams are tied at the conclusion of the last game of the season, the Red Sox will have homefield advantage because they have gotten the best of the Yankees in the season series.
However, neither team wants to settle for having the best second-place record of any team in the league. Both would like to run down and catch the first place Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto leads the American League East by 3 1/2 games over both teams with an 84-62 record.
The Red Sox will travel to Toronto for the penultimate regular-season series of the season Sept. 23. The two teams will meet at the Rogers Centre for three games.
The Red Sox have strong starting pitching at the head of the rotation with Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito. They have also received brilliant relief pitching from Aroldis Chapman.
However, the offensive attack must come through in the season's most important games
Alex Bregman is the key hitter for the Red Sox
The Red Sox have gotten solid offensive production this season, but they are not at their peak for the final weeks of the regular season Rookie star Roman Anthony is out with an oblique injury and outfielder Wilyer Abreu has missed multiple weeks with a knee issue. If the Red Sox are going to secure their spot in the postseason, third baseman Alex Bregman must come through with a solid performance.
After Anthony was promoted from Triple-A Worcester to the parent club, he found his stride after a brief slump at the start. Anthony became the best offensive threat on the team as he slashed. 292/.396/.463 with 8 home runs and 32 runs batted in. Most of his home runs came shortly before he suffered his oblique injury.
Trevor Story has become an offensive star for the team with 24 homers, 91 RBI and 28 stolen bases without getting caught. Story has also played stellar defensive shortstop as he has finally stayed healthy for the Sox. Jarren Duran has not been as explosive as he was a year ago, but the speedy outfielder has 14 home runs, 79 RBI and 23 stolen bases.
However, no Red Sox player has a better offensive track record than Bregman, who gained a reputation as a clutch player while he was with the Houston Astros from 2016 through 2024. He played a key role in helping that team win two World Series titles and going to the postseason eight times.
Bregman has been up and down since returning from injury
Bregman has been solid for the Red Sox, although he did have to endure a midseason right quad strain that caused him to miss more than 40 games.
The solid fielding third baseman is slashing .279/.362/.474 with 16 home runs and 57 RBI in 101 games. While he was productive after returning from his injury, he has slumped during the last two weeks.
The Red Sox need him to get hot again and start driving the ball over the fence. His swing is built for Fenway Park and he needs to show off his clutch power hitting throughout the rest of the season.
If he can do that, the Red Sox have an excellent chance of earning the top Wild Card spot and possibly catching the Blue Jays for first place.
Rafaela needs to go on a hot streak
While Bregman must come through for the Red Sox, notoriously streaky Ceddanne Rafaela also needs to start driving the ball consistently as the postseason approaches.
Rafaela is a major plus in the field as he is one of the best defensive centerfielders in the sport. He can also play infield when Cora asks him to play 2nd base.
He can also get the job done at the plate when he is not aggressively swinging at pitches outside the strike zone. Rafaela is tied for third on the team with 16 home runs and he has also driven in 60 runs.
However, his slash line of .241/.285/.410 tells the rest of the story. He rarely gets on base via the walk route and he goes through long stretches where he strikes out far too often.
Rafaela has demonstrated that he can come through in clutch situations, and the Red Sox need him to do just that as the regular season comes to its conclusion.
