The Boston Red Sox 2022 season has gotten off to a bit of an ugly start. The lineup has struggled to score runs, and while the pitching has actually picked up the slack for the most part, the bullpen has managed to have just enough meltdowns early on to destroy any sort of goodwill they may have built up.
At 10-14, and already eight games out of first place in the American League East, this is certainly not how the Sox or their fans expected their season to start. They have only won one series so far this season, and while they aren’t getting blown out on a nightly basis, they aren’t exactly posing a threat to win many of their games.
A big reason for this is because half of the team has kicked off the season in a deep slump. Players who made massive contributions to the team’s postseason success last season have been basically invisible to start the season, and a quick look at the statsheet will show you why this team has had such a rough start to the season.
It goes without saying that those players that are slumping are going to have to wake up if Boston wants to make some sort playoff push similar to last season. And while this could certainly be a long list, I’ve narrowed it down to three players who are going to have to step up and deliver the goods for Boston soon, or else they could be in trouble. So let’s get started with the player who was at one point the hottest player in the majors last postseason.
Boston Red Sox player who needs to bust his slump No. 3: Kike Hernandez
Kike Hernandez dominated the postseason for the Red Sox last season. He was Boston’s best hitter for most of the playoffs; he delivered the game-winning sacrifice fly against the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS, and continued his torrid stretch with three home runs in the first two games of the ALCS against the Houston Astros.
It seemed like Hernandez was set to carry over the momentum from his finish to last season, but instead he has stumbled out of the gate. Hernandez is hitting just .187 with one home run and 12 runs batted in so far. His WAR of 0.0 according to baseball-reference.com portrays him as a league average player. He certainly didn’t look like one in the playoffs last season, though.
Hernandez had some big expectations heading into the season, and he has failed to reach any of them so far. He’s been bumped out of the leadoff spot in favor of Trevor Story (who also could have easily made this list) after he made it his own last season. His fielding in center field remains exceptional, but until his bat wakes up, it won’t really make a difference.
Maybe Hernandez simply went through one hot stretch in the playoffs that caused everyone’s expectations to be way off for him, but the Sox have been burned by his lack of production to open the season. They held onto him and moved Hunter Renfroe, in part because they felt they could count on him to produce in a similar way he did last season. So far, that’s been a poor call on Chaim Bloom‘s part in the front office.
The good news for Hernandez is that he is going to have as long as he needs to figure out his issues. Jackie Bradley Jr. has unsurprisingly been even worse than Hernandez to open the season (.169 BA, 0 HR, 5 RBI) and the only potential call up from Triple-A is Jarren Duran, who struggled during his initial stint in the majors last season. Hernandez has a long leash, but he’s going to have to start finding his way on base soon if he wants to stay in the lineup.
Boston Red Sox player who needs to bust his slump No. 2: Nick Pivetta
Nick Pivetta is another example of a guy who was outstanding in the playoffs last season, but has been completely unrecognizeable so far this season. Pivetta has lost four of his first five starts, and has posted an ugly 7.84 ERA over 20.2 innings. Hard to believe he was shutting down the Rays and Astros just a couple of months ago.
Pivetta was expected to be Boston’s second best starter behind Nathan Eovaldi to open the season, and instead he’s been easily their worst starter. Rich Hill and Michael Wacha were huge question marks coming into the season, but both have been solid so far. Heck, Wacha has probably been the Sox best starter to open the season.
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The biggest reason for Pivetta’s struggles early on has been his complete lack of control. Pivetta has had trouble finding the strike zone for pretty much the entire season, and it’s resulted in some fairly short outings. For reference, Pivetta has a 21:13 strikeout-to-walk ratio, so he’s not even striking out two batters for every walk he’s giving up.
The good news for the Sox is that they will have options if Pivetta continues to struggle. The problem is nobody really knows when those options will be available. Alex Cora could conceivably throw Pivetta in the bullpen to let him figure things out while letting both Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock start, but Whitlock doesn’t have the stamina to go five innings yet and Houck’s availability remains a constant question mark.
Further down the line, Cora could bump Pivetta if he continues to struggle in favor of Chris Sale and/or James Paxton. In Pivetta’s case, that gives him time to make some adjustments and get his act together. But if he keeps struggling, he will find himself in the bullpen before he knows it.
Boston Red Sox player who needs to bust his slump No. 1: Bobby Dalbec
Let’s cut to the chase here; this is quite clearly a make-or-break season for Bobby Dalbec. And so far, it has gone quite horribly. Dalbec has been among the worst hitters in the league to open the season, and unless he finds a way to start getting on base over the next few weeks, he’s going to lose his starting job before he knows it.
Dalbec’s starting stats have been abysmal thus far (.147 BA, 1 HR, 3 RBI). He’s still taking barely any walks (just four so far) while striking out a ton (23 K’s so far, so he’s basically good for one a game). It’s been a massive step backwards after Dalbec pieced together a solid second half last season.
The main reason for Dalbec’s improved production towards the end of last season was because he became more patient at the plate, and was able to draw more walks. But Dalbec has gone back to his hackin’ ways, and he has been nearly unplayable as a result. He never walks, he always strikes out, and even when he makes contact, half of the time it doesn’t leave the infield.
Dalbec was on the hot seat at first base coming into the season, and that seat is now engulfed in flames. With Triston Casas continuing to play well in Triple-A with the Worcester Red Sox, the calls for his promotion will only increase as Dalbec continues to struggle. And he’s showed no signs of coming anywhere close to heating up.
Bloom and the front office took a gamble letting Kyle Schwaber walk in free agency and turning the reigns back over to Dalbec, and so far it’s backfired on them. Dalbec has been terrible, and it’s safe to say his major league career is probably hanging in the balance right now. Whereas Hernandez and Pivetta has longer leashes to get their act together, Dalbec only has a few weeks, and as of right now, it doesn’t seem like he’s going to be able to pull it off.