Throughout the season, the Boston Red Sox have been among the MLB's best in terms of producing runs. One through nine have all done their part, a big reason why the team is 11 games over .500 and given a 75% chance to make the playoffs according to FanGraphs.
Boston now leads the AL in runs scored (613) after their 14-1 thrashing of the Houston Astros on Tuesday night, and has a top-three run differential in the MLB (+96). Those stats would make many believe that the Sox are leading the AL East at this point in the season, but they're not, sitting 4.5 games back of the 70-win Toronto Blue Jays in the middle of August.
That said, they pose one of the best offenses the league has to offer and would be a scary unit to face come October. But there's always room for improvement, especially when it comes to the Red Sox first base position.
After an early part of the season that saw Rafael Devers refuse to play the position following Triston Casas' season-ending knee injury, the Red Sox have leaned on Abraham Toro mostly, with Romy Gonzalez and Nick Sogard previously in the mix at first base as well.
Toro and Gonzalez's success at the plate after the Casas injury could be pointed to as a reason that Boston didn't pursue any external options at first during the trade deadline. They thought they had a good platoon going, as Romy is a lefty-killer, and Toro showed success against righties.
While Gonzalez continues to produce in his at-bats (slashing .333/.355/.567 in August), Toro has done quite the opposite. He's slashing .162/.184/.324 with six strikeouts this month, and has been on a downward trend ever since he was inserted into the lineup in May.
Red Sox first basemen have combined for a .239 average and .695 OPS this season, ranking 22nd in the majors at the position. The trade deadline has passed, meaning the team can only build from within, like they've done with their young talent all season.
The good news for Boston is that they have a top prospect willing to step in at first base, and is one of the biggest candidates to be a September call-up. Enter Jhostynxon "The Password" Garcia.
Red Sox Hinting at Jhostynxon Garcia Call-Up with Position Change
The Red Sox No.3 prospect was expected to join the team at some point next season, but with the way WooSox manager Chad Tracy is handling him at first base, we could see the 22-year-old in Boston before seasons end.
Tim Healy of the Boston Globe recently reported that Garcia has been seeing increased action at first base in Worcester and could play the position for the WooSox as early as next week. With the way Toro has been struggling recently, he's officially in danger of being demoted for the aforementioned Garcia.
Garcia, who's originally a center fielder, could give the Red Sox a boost at first throughout their playoff push. He's slashing .285/.363/.876 with 19 home runs and 66 RBIs across 93 games with the Sea Dogs and WooSox. To fix the Red Sox problems even more, Garcia has a good track record against RHP, slashing .285/.359 /.506 this season.
Red Sox prospect Jhostynxon Garcia has a hit in 18 of his last 23 games (30-for-94, .319) with 5 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 23 RBI and 20 runs scored for Triple-A Worcester.
— Andrew Parker (@ByAndrewParker) August 13, 2025
Of course, the Red Sox organization doesn't want to rush Garcia as he takes on a new position. WooSox manager Chad Tracy realizes this, and wants a smooth transition for one of the Sox quickest rising prospects.
"We take into consideration, ultimately, if he makes a mistake and it’s costly, oh well, at least it’s not at Fenway. . . . At the same time, you also don’t want to throw a player out there to the wolves who you feel like is not ready and have him standing out there with his shoulders down feeling like he’s costing the team.Chad Tracy, WooSox Manager
But I can tell you: The kid is all in. We mentioned it to him: ‘Yep, let’s go.’"
It'll be a learning process for Garcia, there's no doubt about it. Even with some growing pains, Garcia's quickest path to the majors would be at first base. At his normal position in center field, The Password would have to compete with Duran, Abreu and Anthony, who all have been tearing the cover off the ball recently, and Rafaela, one of the best defensive outfielders in the sport.
The Red Sox could add yet another young, exciting face to the fold come September. If Garcia becomes comfortable at first base quickly and Toro continues slumping, a roster shakeup could be necessary as Boston fights for a playoff berth.