BOSTON, MA - APRIL 5: Caleb Durbin #5 of the Boston Red Sox looks on from the dugout during the game against the San Diego Padres at Fenway Park on April 5, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
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The Boston Red Sox made a surprisingly dramatic change in an attempt to save their season, but things haven’t changed much since.
The team managed a .500 record in the immediate aftermath of long-time manager Alex Cora getting the boot. His replacement, Chad Tracy, seems to have been selected primarily for his familiarity.
“Chad has been in the organization for a while,” Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow explained after making the change, per MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “He’s managed at the highest level of our Minor League system and he's familiar with and has meaningful relationships with a majority of our roster, given the younger players that we do have. He's demonstrated an ability to get the most out of that group.”
But as Tracy looks to get more from the players than Cora did, he could make some more significant changes going forward.
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On Monday, he announced that would include moving beleaguered pitcher Brayan Bellow into a relief role. And plenty of fans are hoping that some change will be coming to the infield as well, with trade addition Caleb Durbin off to a brutal start at the plate.
Durbin is slashing just .165/.254/.248 following a .256/.334/.387 rookie season with the Milwaukee Brewers. And while some frustrated Red Sox fans might be hoping to see Durbin moved to the bench or to Triple-A, Tracy has decided to keep him as the team’s third baseman.
“I like where they’re at,” Tracy said, indicating that he wants to keep Durbin at third and Marcelo Mayer at second base, according to The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey. “Especially right now, both of them are playing really well and Durbin has been exceptional at third base, his defense. So I like where it’s at and switching things like that in the middle of a season, especially at this level, is hard to do.”
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“A league source said that Breslow and Cora disagreed in spring training about where to play Caleb Durbin and Marcelo Mayer,” McCaffrey reported. “Breslow wanted Mayer at third with Durbin at second, but Tracy said there’s no plan to make that switch at this point.”
Defensively, Durbin appears able to handle the position adequately. But from the batter’s box, he has been a poor replacement for Alex Bregman and Tracy might not be able to stick with him as the everyday option at third base for much longer if the Red Sox are going to turn things around.
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