Boston Red Sox fans can't help but be pleased with where the team finds itself as the unofficial halfway point of the 2025 MLB season.
Only three games back of the division leader and holding a wildcard spot, the Red Sox's roster is quietly one of the better stories of the season. It isn't one player doing the heavy lifting but a team effort in the truest sense of the word. Trading away Rafael Devers seems to have somehow made the team a better group, more focused on accomplishing its unexpected postseason expectations.
Still, this hasn't been the case for everyone, with one notable offseason addition struggling.
Red Sox's Patience with RHP Walker Buehler is Wearing Thin
Signing starter Walker Buehler seemed the perfect reclamation project after the former Dodgers ace dealt with injuries. So many injuries in a short span seemed to erode the starter's confidence and changed his pitch selection and movement. This is why the Dodgers were willing to move on and Boston was able to find a cheap investment with high upside.
So far, that hasn't been the case with Buehler having a 6.12 ERA in his first 16 starts and consistently failing to give his team sustained production.
To put it a bit more bluntly, Buehler is actively working against the underdog outlook the majority of the roster has embraced. Even though the situation is not the starter's intention, as he attempts to rebuild confidence and value, the Red Sox are in the middle of a hotly contested race and simply cannot afford to have the veteran on the mound every fifth day if production doesn't improve.
Boston should be actively looking at potential upgrades both in its system and on the trade market. If the Red Sox are going to opt to buy this year, the clear option is replacing Buehler with a more reliable arm. Still, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the veteran given a couple more turns in the rotation in an attempt to exhaust all hope that he can find who he once was.
There was a time when Buehler was a primary option for the Dodgers in a postseason series. The starter wasn't simply a cog in the rotation but an important force capable of dominating any lineup. Hope of finding this version of the starter is the last thin string keeping the veteran in the Red Sox's rotation.
Something that could quickly change if the results don't drastically change in the next days of the season.