Boston Red Sox
“Having to determine the offense and fixing it midstream is vital.”
It’s been an up-and-down season to date for the 2026 Crimson Sox.
Following Wednesday’s win — and subsequent sweep — over the Royals, Boston presently holds a 22-27 document.
For all the optimism rooted within the Crimson Sox taking one other step ahead after final yr’s temporary playoff look, Boston has taken its lumps by way of the primary seven weeks, with a largely listless lineup hindering a roster that has obtained high quality pitching and protection on most nights.
However, even with Boston laboring out of the gate, Theo Epstein believes the Crimson Sox nonetheless have the means to tug themselves out of a sub-.500 begin.
Epstein — who served as common supervisor of the Crimson Sox from 2002-2011 and gained two World Collection in Boston — now serves as a senior advisor and part-owner of Fenway Sports activities Group.
Whereas he’s not concerned within the day-to-day workings of the Crimson Sox, Epstein was asked on the “Dirt from the Dugout” podcast about how Boston’s ballclub has fared up up to now.
“I’ve achieved a very good job of staying out of the media [and] the dialog across the group,” Epstein mentioned. “That’s one of many cool issues about simply being an advisor is that I can simply sort of give my opinion and I don’t need to be part of the general public dialog. … Pitching and protection have been improbable,” Epstein mentioned. “That’s not a simple feat to have that basis.
“Having to determine the offense and fixing it midstream is vital. There’s one thing to construct round with the pitching and protection and I do know [Craig Breslow] and the blokes are onerous at work on fixing the offense.”
Getting Roman Anthony again within the lineup can be a welcome sight for the Crimson Sox’ lineup shifting ahead, though his restoration timeline from a sprained ligament in his proper ring finger seems to have hit a snag in recent days.
Nonetheless, Boston has began to point out indicators of waking up on the plate — scoring seven runs on Tuesday and one other 4 throughout Wednesday’s victory at Kauffman Stadium.
Epstein has helped assemble a number of contending golf equipment throughout his standout profession as a baseball government — together with a 3rd World Collection title with the Cubs in 2016.
Throughout his podcast look, the 52-year-old Epstein harassed that belief is without doubt one of the key elements of constructing a sustainable, contending group in Main League Baseball.
“As somebody who’s placing a group collectively or attempting to construct a championship group, there’s nothing extra vital than gamers that in the end you possibly can belief to do a myriad of issues,” Epstein mentioned. “One — gamers which you could belief to place the group first, put the group curiosity, the collective curiosity, organizational pursuits, generally above their very own particular person pursuits. … That sort of belief is massively vital, and it cuts each methods, too.
“It’s simply so vital that you just’re sincere together with your suggestions, you’re sincere in contract negotiations, you’re sincere with the place [players] stand, you’re sincere about their growth, and that’s the place particular person participant growth plans got here from, and ensuring you doc the suggestions, and that there’s buy-in, and that sort of honesty is what’s important to constructing belief that goes each methods and is mutual,” he added.
“In case you have it going each instructions, when you have gamers which you could belief to do the precise issues that we simply articulated, and also you’ve acquired gamers trusting the management — each with their supervisor and the GM and the possession — you’re going to have a successful group for a very long time.”
Join the Right this moment publication
Get every part you’ll want to know to start out your day, delivered proper to your inbox each morning.
