The Boston Red Sox haven't gotten the production out of third base that they have hoped to have to kick off the 2026 Major League Baseball season.
Caleb Durbin is the guy for Boston right now after being acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers this past offseason. The 26-year-old has played in 22 games so far this season for Boston and is slashing .147/.238/.213 with zero homers, seven RBIs, seven walks, and 13 strikeouts. Durbin's .451 OPS is a far cry from the 2025 season, when he had a .721 OPS.
Durbin's advanced metrics aren't much better. Right now, he's in the 13th percentile in xwOBA, 22nd percentile in expected batting average, seventh percentile in expected slugging percentage, 28th percentile in average exit velocity, seventh percentile in barrel rate, 24th percentile in hard-hit rate, and 10th percentile in bat speed. On the bright side, he's in the 87th percentile in chase rate, 89th percentile in whiff rate, and 83rd percentile in strikeout rate.
So, essentially, Durbin isn't swinging at bad pitches, but he's not making good, hard contact when he does connect. If this trend continues for Boston, it's going to have to consider a change at some point. You can't roll someone out with a .147 batting average every day if you want to contend. Hopefully, the Red Sox don't need to make a change. But if need be, he could always do a stint down in Triple-A. Former first-round pick Mikey Romero is down there doing well right now. Romero is slashing .259/.340/.370 with one homer and 12 RBIs in 21 games played.
If Durbin's struggles continue, it may be worth looking into whether Romero could help this club.