So long, Isaiah Campbell. The Red Sox demoted the struggling reliever back down to Worcester ahead of the pivotal series with the Yankees this weekend. Richard Fitts, who has been a starter all season will make his way back up to the big leagues and pitch out of the bullpen. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
But the bullpen isn’t the only issue right now. Of the 101 pitchers who have thrown at least 100 innings in 2025, Walker Buehler’s 5.40 ERA is the eighth-worst mark in all of baseball. Nonetheless, Walker Buehler ranks second on the Red Sox in games started. This is a problem! At the very least, Alex Cora was aggressive in removing Buehler from the game last night, but in a postseason race that could be decided by a single game, the Sox cannot afford to keep running Buehler out there and hoping for better results. And, according to sources, the Sox are now considering giving his rotation spot to either Kyle Harrison or Cooper Criswell. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
Given Buehler’s continued struggles, does Craig Breslow have any regrets about the tepid trade deadline? Here are some of his reflections on it, a few weeks later. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
Ceddanne Rafaela isn’t in danger of losing his spot, of course, but he has been mired in an extended slump since being asked to cover innings in the infield. Last night the Sox gave him a mental health night off in hopes of getting him back on track. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
But Nuff Cedd is hardly the only Red Sox hitter struggling right now. The Sox have compiled just 11 extra-base hits over their last 6 games, wasting what Nathaniel Lowe called a “special” home run he hit to tie last night’s game. (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)
Hopefully the bats can get back on track in time for this weekend’s four-game series against the Yankees, which is looking like the most important series of the season. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)
