MLB Notebook: Red Sox' first month is a mixed bag, Lucas Giolito returning, WooSox stars are a work in progress, a milestone for the NL slugger, and a look around the league

The Red Sox are one month into the season, and the results have been underwhelming. Boston is one game over .500; they’ve gotten excellent pitching from Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler. The bullpen has been better than expected, the offense has been incredibly streaky, and poor defense continues to be the Red Sox's identity under Alex Cora the last couple of years.

Boston sits 1.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the American League East. The Sox’ 14 wins are tied for the second most in the American League.

Crochet has pitched like an ace, and you’d have to wonder where the Sox would be one month into the season without him on the roster. The left-hander's last outing was his worst of the season, struggling with command and throwing a career-high 110 pitches in the 4-3 loss to the Mariners in the last homestand.

The lefty never looked like he was able to settle into his outing, giving up four runs off five hits with five walks and striking out nine. His ERA rose to 1.95, which is still one of the best in the American League. It was his shortest outing since Opening Day down in Arlington, Texas.

Crochet didn’t feel like he attacked hitters and was passive in his outing.

"I’ve just got to get back to that (attack) mentality,” said Crochet. “Just referencing how I was not happy with the success I was having, feeling like I had work to do—that was the wrong approach to have. Sometimes, you’ve got to take the good with the bad. Today was just getting back to who I am, just filling up the zone, throwing fastballs middle-middle, and if you hit it, you hit it. It’s a lot better than trying to place one on the inner rail, leaving it out, and giving up an extra-base hit like I did in the second inning.

“For me, pitching is hitting your spots and painting, I suppose. That’s just not me. I’ll have the accidental misfire paint, or I really drove it on a specific pitch, and it happens to be paint. But for the most part, I do a lot of my work in the heart of the zone. I think I was getting away from that because I was having success, so it was like, ‘What’s the next thing I can work on?’ Always trying to work on something as opposed to, 'You just get to a point where you’ve just got to continue what you’re doing.'”

Buehler has won his last three starts and has posted a 2.59 ERA over his last four starts and has won four of his last five outings.

Tanner Houck’s struggles are worrisome, and his inability to induce swings and misses is a massive concern. 

Aroldis Chapman, Justin Slaten, and Garrett Whitlock have been a three-headed monster in the bullpen. 

Offensively it’s been a mixed bag for the Sox, ranking 11th in the league with 30 homers and fifth with 129 RBI. Boston has to cut down on the strikeouts, ranking second in all of baseball with 277 punch-outs and 114 walks (fifth in baseball).

Rafael Devers continues to struggle through one month of the season, batting .210 with three homers and 16 RBI and owning a.722 OPS. Triston Casas is showing signs of coming out of his slump but is still hitting just .172 with three homers and a .583 OPS. Ceddanne Rafaela looks like a Gold Glove center fielder, but he, too, has struggled from the bottom of the Sox’ lineup with a .582 OPS.

On the plus side, Kristian Campbell looks like a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate, with their top prospects on the horizon for a potential mid-season promotion.

Boston could have a great week and hold one of the best records in the American League. Cora’s group needs to show more consistency overall. The Sox have the potential, but their performance at the start of the season has been underwhelming.

RED SOX DEBUT ON THE HORIZON

It’s been almost 16 months since the Red Sox signed right-handed pitcher Lucas Giolito, and he’s finally getting closer to pitching his first game with Boston.

Providing he doesn’t have another setback, Giolito will be activated off the injured list this week and make his team and season debut against the Blue Jays on Wednesday.

It’s been a bumpy road for the 30-year-old after he injured his pitching elbow in spring training in 2024 and missed time since having internal brace surgery.

Giolito made five rehab starts following landing on the injured list with a hamstring issue he suffered in his first start of the spring. He recorded a 5.19 ERA over 17 1/3 innings.

With the addition of Giolito into the Sox’ rotation, he will join Brayan Bello, who rejoined the team last week. In his season debut, the 25-year-old righty had a rocky first inning, allowing a homer to Mariners infielder Jorge Polanco, but settled into his outing, allowing the lone run on four hits with three walks and striking out three over five frames.

For Giolito, his final start in the minors came with the WooSox on Friday from Polar Park, where he walked an alarming six batters over 4 2/3 innings while giving up three runs. Only 47 of his 85 pitches were thrown for strikes.

“Obviously we saw the line. But he’s healthy, and he’s ready,” Cora said on Saturday in Cleveland. “The plan is for him to be with us in Toronto. Most likely [Wednesday].”

Giolito hasn’t pitched since making 33 starts in 2023 spanned across three teams: the White Sox, Angels, and Guardians. Boston will get five months out of Giolito after giving him a two-year, $37 million deal that includes a team option in 2026.

“We do believe physically he’s ready,” Cora said. “Now it’s about performing at the big-league level.”

WORK TO BE DONE

If you scroll social media, Red Sox fans are begging Boston to promote Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer to the 26-man roster.

Despite what the fans want, the Red Sox want both players to be complete before adding them to the big-league roster. While fans' desire for both players to play in the major leagues fulfills a short-term need, the organization prioritizes the success of its top two prospects for years to come.

“Can either of those guys go to the big leagues, probably right now, and compete and do well? Sure. But it doesn’t always work that way,” WooSox manager Chad Tracy said at Polar Park this week. “There’s a lot of little nuances that the game [in the majors] will expose that we’re working on. So does that mean they can’t go there tomorrow and play? Of course it doesn’t mean that. Yeah, they can. But while they’re here, we clean all these things up that we can.”

Anthony has hit .313 with five homers, 14 RBI, five doubles, one triple, 21 walks, and two stolen bases, with a 1.039 OPS through 23 games.

“There’s things with his hitting, believe it or not, as well, with his swing and getting the ball in the air to the pull side of the field when you have the opportunity to do so. Not smother into second base. They have drills to do. There’s plenty of things.”

While Anthony's offensive numbers suggest a big league promotion, the Sox prioritize his defensive development.

“There’s things with his footwork on his throwing that we’re ironing out,” Tracy said. “There’s leads and secondaries at second base that we’re working on. It’s very small touches.

Mayer’s health is something to consider with his current path to Fenway Park. He’s seen the last two minor league seasons come to a screeching halt due to injuries, including a lower back injury last year.

Minor shoulder soreness limited Anthony to hitting duties for the last week and a half. He is back in the outfield for the WooSox on this current homestand. 

Anthony was removed from the WooSox’ game on Friday night after fouling a ball off the top of his foot.

“It was sore throughout the game, so he came out,” Cora said on Saturday.

The Red Sox roster mix at the major league level is something else to take into account before promoting the two young prospects.

“Then the reality is we have a good organization, we have good players,” Tracy said. “So it’s not like ‘oh, bring Roman up.’ Well, who’s gonna leave? Those are good players. So at times it’s a case of the organization they are right where they’re supposed to be. And when the moment arises, we have them ready, and then they make the decision from there. Those kids are very grounded.”

AROUND THE LEAGUE

- Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suarez had a historic Saturday evening, becoming the 19th Major League Baseball player to hit four home runs in a game in Arizona’s 8-7 loss to the Atlanta Braves. The DBacks also became the second team since 1900 to have a player belt four homers and still lose the game.

“This is special; I want to glorify God with this game today,’’ said Suarez. “It’s a gift. I don’t take it for granted. I feel so good for myself. I never thought this would happen.

“I always say that God, has my back. Everything that I do, I do for him. And he took care of me tonight.’’

The last player to hit four homers in a game was J.D. Martinez — who was also with Arizona — back in 2017.

Martinez hit his four home runs off four different pitchers in the game, becoming only the third player since 1913 to complete that feat.

- Yankees manager Aaron Boone is weighing whether or not to remove Devin Williams from the closer role.

“We’ll still talk through this. I haven’t seen Devin yet. We’ll try to do what’s best for the team and Devin,” Boone said. “We’ll just get through this bump in the road.

"I’m still expecting great things.”

Williams has allowed 12 runs (10 earned) in eight innings, with opposing hitters feasting off him on the mound, hitting .462 at the plate.

- Former three-time baseball executive of the year and former general manager of the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals, Walt Jocketty passed away over the weekend; he was 74. Jocketty had been battling health issues for several years.

“On behalf of the entire St. Louis Cardinals organization, I would like to offer condolences to Walt’s family and his many friends,” Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement. “Walt was our first GM when we purchased the ballclub, and he helped to lead our baseball operations through some of the franchise's most successful and memorable years.

“He will be sorely missed but long remembered for his distinguished career in baseball.”

MEET CHANDLER SIMPSON

If you're not yet familiar with Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson, you'll soon have the opportunity to learn more about him. The speedy outfielder has tormented opposing teams on the base paths in the minors; he stole 104 bases last season for Double-A and Triple-A, becoming the first player to steal 100 bags in the minors since 2012.

“I love stealing bases,” Simpson said in an interview with USA Today Sports. “It gets me real hyped because I know that when I get on, all eyes are on me. Everybody in the stadium, the pitcher, the catcher, the pitching coach, their manager, all of the fans in the stands, my manager, my teammates, they all know that I’m going to steal.

“It’s man vs. man, me vs. you, and I feel that nobody can stop me.”

On Saturday night, Padres third baseman Manny Machado barreled a ball to lead off the bottom of the seventh that he drove to deep center field. As the ball was traveling to the 396-foot mark over the wall, Simpson tracked the back, leaped up, leaned his glove over the wall, and robbed Machado’s home run.

If Simpson had not made the play, Statcast projected Machado’s blast to be a 407-foot home run. Simpson’s elite play at the wall robbing Machado helped preserve the Rays’ two-run lead at the time.

Simpson compared his catch to a player he admired growing up: Adam Jones.

“I grew up watching him. I’ve been watching his highlights for years,” Simpson said. “And the fact that I can make that play off him, it was great.”

Simpson showed off his blazing speed earlier in the week in a game against the Yankees. Max Fried was throwing a no-hitter that was broken up by Simpson after he hit a grounder to Yankees veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, which initially was ruled an error before it was overturned the next inning.

Goldschmidt mishandled the grounder, and the official scorer felt Simpson would have been safe either way, due to his speed. It took Simpson 3.90 seconds to get from home to first, the quickest time recorded by any MLB hitter on a swing this season.

Pirates’ Ji-Hwan Bae went home-to-first in 3.89 seconds on a grounder against the Padres last August. Bae and Simpson are the only two players to record a 3.89 time or faster the last two seasons.