The Boston Red Sox entered 2025 poised to improve defensively over last season’s dismal results. But an MLB-worst 20 errors, .973 fielding percentage, and .657 defensive efficiency have contributed to a slow start. Now, the team many experts predicted would make the playoffs and potentially win the AL East merely hold a 10-10 record.
Red Sox Struggle To Improve Defensively
In 2024, the Boston Red Sox’s .981 fielding percentage tied with the Washington Nationals for next to last in MLB. Their 115 errors were likewise second worst. The Miami Marlins outdid them in both categories. However, Boston’s 1,449 assists were good for sixth best and the exceptional defense of right fielder Wilyer Abreu won the rookie a Gold Glove Award.
Just before spring training, the Red Sox signed reigning Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman. Viewed as a significant defensive upgrade over Rafael Devers, Bregman won the starting spot at the hot corner and Devers moved to designated hitter.
Through 19 games, Bregman is tied for second among all MLB players with four errors, two behind Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz. Fellow All-Star third baseman José Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardians also has four errors. In his first 19 games last season, Devers committed one error and only tallied 12 all year.
Left fielder Jarren Duran, second baseman Kristian Campbell, first baseman Triston Casas, and catcher Blake Sabol have each committed two errors in 2025. And a quarter of the team’s current total occurred during an 11-1 away loss to the Chicago White Sox on April 11.
The subpar play in the field by the Red Sox has resulted in a defensive efficiency a full .100 below the league-leading Reds and well below the .705 league average. Their fielding percentage ranks .019 below the MLB-best St. Louis Cardinals. However, Boston has also turned 23 double plays — one behind the league-leading Los Angeles Angels.
Tom Caron and Jim Rice called out the Red Sox defense after Boston committed 5 errors in the 11-1 loss. https://t.co/5lIfKVDspe pic.twitter.com/Q366pCs7oj
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 12, 2025
Better Days Ahead
Fortunately, history suggests that Bregman will soon settle down in the field. Over 142 games last season, he only committed 10 errors. Plus, he’s never had more than 15 in a year — which occurred over 160 games in 2023.
Duran is likewise coming off a terrific defensive year, logging a .984 fielding percentage and merely six errors over 160 games. However, five of those errors were committed in left field, where he played only 83 games last year and looks to start the large majority of his games in 2025.
As for the other Boston players with multiple errors, Campbell hasn’t had one since April 8 and the rookie sports a respectable .964 fielding percentage. Both of Sabol’s errors came on catcher’s interference in the aforementioned April 11 loss — his only start thus far. The Red Sox have been leaning on Carlos Narvaez behind the plate while Connor Wong is out with a broken finger. They also signed two-time All-Star Yasmani Grandal to a minor league deal.
Changes Coming At First Base?
But more frequent changes could be coming at first base. Despite manager Alex Cora’s pre-season insistence that he wouldn’t platoon at the position, Casas’ struggles at the plate have forced his hand.
In 22 at-bats, Romy González is slashing .409/.480/.591 with three RBI. Casas has knocked in the same number of runs while hitting .172/.243/.266 across nearly three times as many plate appearances. Despite a pair of three-game hitting streaks, Casas remains stuck at one home run, which he slugged on April 3 in Baltimore.
And while the sample size is small, González has also outperformed Casas in the field. In four games at first base, González has a perfect fielding percentage with no errors. Casas boasts a very respectable .986 fielding percentage along with his two errors.
González is also the only player to fill in for Bregman at third. He spelled the starter for the final three innings of an 18-7 blowout of the Cardinals on April 6, during which González committed his lone error of the season. He was error-free during his complete game at third during Bregman’s paternity leave on Wednesday.
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