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Interim Manager Chad Tracy of the Boston Red Sox, left and Interim Third Base Coach Chad Epperson #81 look out over the field before their game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on April 26, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

One of the more disappointing MLB teams in 2026 has been the Boston Red Sox. Things have gone sideways since the first week of the season, when the Houston Astros swept them.

Anything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow tried to get out ahead of it back in April when he fired manager Alex Cora in Baltimore after a 17-1 win over the Orioles. Chad Tracy was named interim manager and has gone 17-21 since. Maybe, just maybe, Cora wasn’t the problem.

After opening a six-game road trip with a win over the New York Yankees on Friday night, things haven’t gone well for Boston. They dropped the series final in the Bronx on Sunday afternoon after Saturday night’s game was rained out. Then they have lost the first two games of their three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays in Florida.

All three of their losses have shared a common theme that remains concerning in 2026.

Boston Red Sox Continue To Add To Incredible Stat in 2026

All three of their losses in their last three games, Boston has trailed through nine innings with a chance to rally for a win. It hasn’t happened. After Tuesday night’s 4-3 loss to the Rays, Boston is 0-35 when trailing through eight innings.

“It’s incredibly frustrating,” said Red Sox catcher Mickey Gaspar. “We’re all trying to help the team win, and we’re knocking at the door every night. We’re coming up a little short right now, and the only thing you can do is look in the mirror and say, ‘How do I help the team?’ And if 26 guys do that, that gets you in a good spot.”

On June 10, that’s an incredible stat. The Red Sox are 1-32 when trailing after seven innings this season. They had a chance to tie the game when trailing 4-1 entering the eighth on Tuesday night. Marcelo Mayer laced a two-run double with nobody out to cut the deficit to 4-3 in the eighth. However, three straight groundouts stranded Mayer at third base as the tying run.

Once again, the Red Sox were unable to rally late in a game. There’s no need to look deeper as to why they’re 11 games below .500 at this point in the season.

Boston Red Sox Offense Continues To Struggle

Why has the Boston offense struggled all season long? Is it because they miss Alex Bregman? Is it because of injuries, mainly Roman Anthony? Whatever it is, they can’t come up with clutch hits as Tampa Bay does.

“Balls in play equal hits. They do a good job with that. They always have,” said Tracy. “Today they just happened to fall in two-out situations with runners in scoring position to tally runs.”

There is no real fix in sight, either for Boston. There were rumors that the Red Sox are looking for a bat in the trade market. It’s going to take more than one trade to fix their offensive woes. Frustration is building and building fast.

“It’s incredibly frustrating,” said Gasper. “We’re all trying to help the team win, and we’re knocking at the door every night. … We’re coming up a little short right now, and the only thing you can do is look in the mirror.”

Truth be told, they’ve been coming up short all year long.

Scott Roche Scott Roche covers college football, NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com and has three decades of sports writing, covering everything from college to professional sports. More about Scott Roche