5 Red Sox on Thin Ice At Quarter Mark of 2024 Season

37 games into the 2024 season, the Boston Red Sox sit just above .500 with a 19-18 record. Given a lackluster offseason that disappointed much of the fanbase, and the multitude of injuries that have plagued the roster, the team has exceeded expectations to remain competitive through the quarter mark of the season.

Boston sits 5.5 games back in the American League East and three games out of a Wild Card spot. After a 15-11 April, the Red Sox have trended in the wrong direction, winning only two of their first seven games in May. As May progresses, it will become more clear who this team is. Is their April record more representative of what fans can expect of this team? Or is their May downward spiral their true baseline? In the words of Bill Parcells, eventually “you are what your record says you are.”

Boston’s pitching staff has largely carried the team, as the Sox currently post the best ERA mark in MLB. Unfortunately, their 14th-ranked scoring offense has held the club back at times. Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck have been especially impressive on the mound. Crawford and Houck rank first and fourth in the AL in ERA, respectively.

Now, those are some of the highlights of this 2024 Boston squad. With a quarter of the season gone in 2024, let’s take a look at some of the Sox who are skating on thin ice.

5. David Hamilton

This isn’t entirely David Hamilton’s fault. He is a 4-A player and has been thrust into a heightened role following injuries in the infield, especially the season-ending injury to shortstop Trevor Story. Hamilton’s defense has been much maligned, and it becomes even more glaring when it occurs at a premium defensive position such as shortstop.

Hamilton is on pace for -22 defensive runs saved in 2024 (yes, negative 22 runs), and is hitting .214 with one home run and two RBI in 42 at-bats. In his career, he is a .173 hitter, and that sole homer and two runs driven in are the only ones in his career. It’s not like Hamilton is just having a down season. Yes, only 75 MLB at-bats isn’t a giant sample size, but he has done little to suggest that there is promise there and position players typically don’t find a sudden burst of production in the box at 26 years old.

Part of a 2022 trade that sent Hunter Renfroe to Milwaukee and returned Jackie Bradley Jr. to Boston, the Red Sox might have to cut their losses on this one.

He is not bringing a lot to the plate – or field, at this point. It is likely that Hamilton retreats to AAA Worcester once some players return from the injured list, or he could be a strong candidate to be designated for assignment.

4. Chris Martin

After performing as one of the best relievers in all of baseball in 2023, Martin hasn’t been able to replicate that production in 2024. Last season, the nine-year veteran posted an astonishing 1.05 ERA and even received American League Cy Young Award votes as a shut down set-up man for closer Kenley Jansen.

2024 has been a different story for the 37-year-old. Martin has struggled out of the gate, posting a 4.73 ERA. His WHIP has jumped from 1.032 in 2023 to 1.275 this season, his hits per nine has jumped from 7.9 to 10.1, and his home runs per nine has increased from 0.4 to 1.4. Martin has also blown three saves so far this campaign. Boston’s bullpen is supposed to be one of the major strengths of this team, but he hasn’t been up to the task through the quarter mark.

Martin has significant playoff experience (including a 2021 World Series title) and his contract expires at the end of the season. If the Red Sox downward trajectory continues and they aren’t jockeying for a playoff spot, he is a prime candidate for a trade to a contender.

3. Kenley Jansen

After offseason trade speculation constantly swirled around Jansen, he ultimately stuck around and began the season on Boston’s Opening Day roster. Frustration with Jansen from Red Sox fans didn’t take long, as the closer was unavailable for a save opportunity only three games into the season with back tightness. With Jansen unavailable, Boston blew a 3-1 lead in the 10th inning to the Seattle Mariners, losing 4-3.

Jansen hasn’t been bad by any stretch this season as he’s allowed only two earned runs in 11 games, and is 5-for-6 on save opportunities. But Boston’s front office has shown an appetite for shedding higher salaried players for younger, team-controlled talent. Jansen could be the next victim of this philosophy. The two-time Reliever of the Year is the second-highest paid player on the active Red Sox at $16 million.

Like Martin, Jansen’s playoff pedigree plus his expiring contract will likely garner interest from teams vying for a postseason spot. The Texas Rangers and Jansen’s old club, the Los Angeles Dodgers, were two teams connected to him in the offseason. Similarly to Martin, his availability will be almost entirely dependent on Boston’s playoff chances as the season progresses.

2. Masataka Yoshida

Another player whose name was tossed around in offseason trade rumors, Masataka Yoshida was a surprising trade candidate after only his first season in MLB. Per reports, the Red Sox weren’t “actively shopping” Yoshida in the offseason, but were listening to offers.

In his first MLB season, Yoshida hit .289/.338/.445 with 15 homers and 72 RBI. He finished second on the team in batting average and hits, third on the team in RBI. Yoshida often featured in the middle of Boston’s lineup.

So, why might Craig Breslow and co. might want to move Yoshida? Well, he cannot play the field at an MLB level. Now, is this Yoshida’s fault? Or should the Red Sox maybe have done a little more homework before inking him to a five-year, $90 million deal to bring him stateside without having played an MLB game? I would lean toward the latter. Manager Alex Cora didn’t shy away, stating that the team “would prefer not” to use Yoshida in the field. He has only played one inning in the field in 2024.

Yoshida’s stranglehold at designated hitter has limited Cora’s flexibility to use the DH position to rotate position players through for maintenance days, something that the manager clearly would prefer to do. This resulted in a stretch where Yoshida rode the bench for several straight games, leading to questions about his future in Boston. Currently, he is on the injured list with a thumb injury, retroactive to April 29.

Boston will almost assuredly have to eat a significant amount of the remaining four years and $74.4 million on his deal, but if a team is comfortable with utilizing Yoshida as their full-time designated hitter and puts stock in his 2023 season, they may be willing to pay up.

1. Rafael Devers

This one might come down to how you define “thin ice”, but quite simply, the Red Sox need better out of their supposed face of the franchise and $30 million man. Devers is the highest-paid player on the team, nearly doubling Kenley Jansen’s $16 million, yet he ranks 10th on the team in WAR.

Devers is 86th in the majors in home runs and 153rd in RBI. Often ranking towards the top of the league in the extra base hits category, Devers ranks 91st in that statistic at this point. He is supposed to be a run-producing, middle of the order bat in the Red Sox lineup. He’s not providing that right now.

In fairness, Devers’ injuries could be hampering his production and sporadically missing games has perhaps prevented him from getting into a rhythm in the box. He has struggled to remain available for Alex Cora, including having to miss the second game of the season with lingering shoulder soreness. The 27-year-old also battled through a bone bruise.

Devers is under contract until his age 37 season in 2033. With massive contracts come massive expectations. He’s not in any danger whatsoever of being traded or released, but Boston (and Devers himself) should hold the third baseman to a higher standard. There is plenty of baseball left, let’s see if he can step it up.

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This article was originally published on chowderandchampions.com as 5 Red Sox on Thin Ice At Quarter Mark of 2024 Season.