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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Are the Boston Red Sox hopeless?
Yahoo Sports senior MLB analyst Jake Mintz and senior MLB analyst Jordan Shusterman discuss how the Boston Red Sox season has unfolded and debate if the team can turn things around with the help of hopeful prospects. Hear the full conversation on the 'Baseball Bar-B-Cast' podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript This club entered the season with expectations at the big league level. Advertisement It entered the season with pretty solid playoff odds and maybe most importantly, it entered the season with 3 of the most exhilarating, promising prospects in the upper minor leagues, and yet, at this point, the Boston Red Sox can best be described as a mess. Things have gotten ugly. They were swept this week by the Milwaukee Brewers, who had yet to sweep anybody. They are, what was the statistic, 5 and 16 in one-run games. But they have been walked off 1234567 times. Uh, those have not all been one run games, but it kind of gives you A sense of how unpleasant this season has been for Red Sox fans because there has been a lot that has gone right, but more recently, a lot has gone wrong. Advertisement And as they sit here now on this five game losing streak in the news for all the wrong reasons, because people want to know. When their top prospect, Roman Anthony is going to arrive while their other two top prospects are in the big leagues in very different situations. You know, we both picked them to win the division and like a lot of people kind of fell for the hype, fell for the roster, fell for those prospects and thought, OK, listen, at this point, even though the Red Sox have been so frustratingly mid the last few years, they have enough good players now. We think they can do it. It was Memorial Day. Advertisement On Monday, which is commonly thought of as a very convenient waypoint in the baseball season. It is more or less a third of the way through the year. It is the time when you really have to stop saying the word off to a slow start, or it's early. It's early April. It's April. So we can't even say it's May. It's certainly not March. No, those, those options are, are running out. We now have to start taking. The standings and the stats, and these rosters and depth charts, we have to start taking them a little bit more seriously, right? And when you look at the Red Sox and what they have been, You make an ugly face. But then when you think about these Red Sox and what they could be the rest of the year, you look, that's still kind of there. It's still kind of there, but the path to it is confusing.
3 hours ago
- Sport
MLB players' families grapple with rising online threats as sports betting surges
HOUSTON -- Soon after Lance McCullers Jr.'s family received online death threats following a tough start by the Houston Astros' pitcher, his 5-year-old daughter, Ava, overheard wife Kara talking on the phone about it. What followed was a painful conversation between McCullers and his little girl. 'She asked me when I came home: 'Daddy like what is threats? Who wants to hurt us? Who wants to hurt me?'' McCullers told The Associated Press on Wednesday. 'So, those conversations are tough to deal with.' McCullers is one of two MLB pitchers whose families have received online death threats this month as internet abuse of players and their families is on the rise. Boston reliever Liam Hendriks took to social media soon after the incident with McCullers to call out people who were threatening his wife's life and directing 'vile' comments at him. The Astros contacted MLB security and the Houston Police Department following the threats to McCullers. An police spokesperson said Thursday that it remains an ongoing investigation. McCullers, who has two young daughters, took immediate action after the threats and hired 24-hour security for his family. 'You have to at that point,' he said. Players from around the league agree that online abuse has gotten progressively worse in recent years. Milwaukee's Christian Yelich, a 13-year MLB veteran and the 2018 NL MVP, said receiving online abuse is 'a nightly thing' for most players. 'I think over the last few years it's definitely increased,' he said. 'It's increased to the point that you're just: 'All right, here we go.' It doesn't even really register on your radar anymore. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. You're just so used to that on a day-to-day, night-to-night basis. It's not just me. It's everybody in here, based on performance.' And many players believe it's directly linked to the rise in legalized sports betting. 'You get a lot of DMs or stuff like that about you ruining someone's bet or something ridiculous like that,' veteran Red Sox reliever Justin Wilson said. 'I guess they should make better bets.' Hendriks, a 36-year-old reliever who previously battled non-Hodgkin lymphoma, said on Instagram that he and his wife received death threats after a loss to the Mets. He added that people left comments saying that they wished he would have died from cancer among other abusive comments. He later discussed the issue and his decision to speak out about it. 'Enough is enough,' he said. 'Like at some point, everyone just like sucking up and dealing with it isn't accomplishing anything. And we pass along to security. We pass along to whoever we need to, but nothing ends up happening. And it happens again the next night. And so, at some point, someone has to make a stand. And it's one of those things where the more eyes we get on it, the more voices we get talking about it. Hopefully it can push it in the right direction." Both the Astros and the Red Sox are working with MLB security to take action against social media users who direct threats toward players and their families. Red Sox spokesperson Abby Murphy added that they've taken steps in recent years to make sure player' families are safe during games. That includes security staff and Boston police stationed in the family section at home and dedicated security in the traveling party to monitor the family section on the road. Murphy said identifying those who make anonymous threats online is difficult, but: 'both the Red Sox and MLB have cyber programs and analysts dedicated to identifying and removing these accounts.' The Astros have uniformed police officers stationed in the family section, a practice that was implemented well before the threats to McCullers and his family. For some players, online abuse has gotten so bad that they've abandoned social media. Detroit All-Star outfielder Riley Greene is one of them, saying he got off because he received so many messages from people blaming him for failed bets. 'I deleted it,' he said of Instagram. 'I'm off it. It sucks, but it's the world we live in, and we can't do anything about it. People would DM me and say nasty things, tell me how bad of a player I am, and say nasty stuff that we don't want to hear.' The 31-year-old McCullers, who returned this year after missing two full seasons with injuries, said dealing with this has been the worst thing that's happened in his career. He understands the passion of fans and knows that being criticized for a poor performance is part of the game. But he believes there's a 'moral line' that fans shouldn't cross. 'People should want us to succeed,' he said. 'We want to succeed, but it shouldn't come at a cost to our families, the kids in our life, having to feel like they're not safe where they live or where they sit at games.' Houston manager Joe Espada was livid when he learned about the threats to McCullers and his family and was visibly upset when he addressed what happened with reporters. Espada added that the team has mental health professionals available to the players to talk about the toll such abuse takes on them and any other issues they may be dealing with. 'We are aware that when we step on the field, fans expect and we expect the best out of ourselves,' Espada said this week. 'But when we are trying to do our best and things don't go our way while we're trying to give you everything we got and now you're threatening our families and kids — now I do have a big issue with that, right? I just did not like it.' Kansas City's Salvador Perez, a 14-year MLB veteran, hasn't experienced online abuse but was appalled by what happened to McCullers. If something like that happened to him he said it would change the way he interacts with fans. 'Now some fans, real fans, they're gonna pay for that, too,' he said. "Because if I was him, I wouldn't take a picture or sign anything for noboby because of that one day.' McCullers wouldn't go that far but admitted it has changed his mindset. 'It does make you kind of shell up a little bit,' he said. 'It does make you kind of not want to go places. I guess that's just probably the human reaction to it.' While most players have dealt with some level of online abuse in their careers, no one has a good idea of how to stop it. 'I'm thankful I'm not in a position where I have to find a solution to this,' Tigers' pitcher Tyler Holton said. 'But as a person who is involved in this, I wish this wasn't a topic of conversation.' White Sox outfielder Mike Tauchman is disheartened at how bad player abuse has gotten. While it's mostly online, he added that he's had teammates that have had racist and homophobic things yelled at them during games. 'Outside of just simply not having social media I really don't see that getting better before it just continues to get worse,' he said. 'I mean, I think it's kind of the way things are now. Like, people just feel like they have the right to say whatever they want to whoever they want and it's behind a keyboard and there's really no repercussions, right?'
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Red Sox make 5 roster moves: Alex Bregman to IL with ‘significant' quad strain
BOSTON — The Red Sox have placed third baseman Alex Bregman on the 10-day injured list after an MRI revealed a significant right quad strain. Top shortstop prospect Marcelo Mayer — who also has played third base and second base in the minor leagues — has been selected to the 40-man roster and will take Bregman's spot on the 26-man active roster. Mayer will make his major league debut in the second game of Boston's doubleheader Saturday at 6:35 p.m. Advertisement To clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Mayer, Boston placed first baseman Triston Casas on the 60-day IL. Casas ruptured his patellar tendon May 2, then underwent season-ending surgery two days later. Boston also designated left-handed pitcher Sean Newcomb for assignment and promoted hard-throwing righty Luis Guerrero from Worcester. Bregman injured his quad running out a single that he hit off the Green Monster on Friday. He underwent an MRI early Saturday. 'Significant injury,' manager Alex Cora said after Boston's 6-5 10-inning walkoff victory in Game 1. 'He's going to be out for a while.' Bregman was in the clubhouse after Game 1. He described it as 'a pretty severe right quad strain.' Advertisement 'It is what it is and now try to take it day by day and crush the rehab,' Bregman said. Both Cora and Bregman said it's similar to the left quad strain the third baseman suffered in 2021. That injury kept him on the IL from June 17-Aug. 25. 'I'm not going to give you a timetable,' Cora said. 'Hopefully, trusting our medical staff, it's sooner rather than later. But he's going to be out for a while.' Bregman was optimistic when he left Fenway Park after Friday's game. But it began hurting when he tried to fall asleep. 'Last night, couldn't really fall asleep,' he said. Bregman was batting .299 with a .385 on-base percentage, .553 slugging percentage, .938 OPS, 11 home runs, 17 doubles, 35 RBIs, 32 runs, 22 walks and 42 strikeouts in 51 games (226 plate appearances). Advertisement He agreed the injury is especially tough after how well he began the 2025 season. 'It's horrible,' he said. He said there's no timetable right now. 'It's just day by day,' he said. 'There's no timetable for it. So just focus on the next step.' More Red Sox coverage Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Former GM floats Red Sox blockbuster trade for ‘true ace' Paul Skenes
The Pittsburgh Pirates have publicly stated that they don't want to trade Paul Skenes. But as one former MLB general manager notes, it might be their wisest course of action. On Wednesday, former GM Jim Bowden laid out five different trade proposals that might motivate the Pirates to trade away their 22-year-old ace. One of those proposals is for the Boston Red Sox. Advertisement A trade for Skenes wouldn't come cheap. Bowden described the young star as 'the most valuable trade asset in decades' due to his unique combination of talent, price and youth. 'He has more than four years of team control remaining and is the hardest type of player to acquire in the major leagues: a true ace, face of the franchise and fan favorite,' Bowden wrote." So what would it take for Boston to pry away one of the brightest talents in baseball? Bowden suggests a package of prospects: OF Roman Anthony, 2B/SS Franklin Arias, 1B/OF Justin Gonzales, RHP Luis Perales. 'To start the package, the Red Sox could offer Anthony, the top position-player prospect in baseball, whom the Pirates could promote to the majors immediately, giving him a chance to win NL Rookie of the Year this season,' Bowden wrote. 'They'd also improve their longer-term future by acquiring a middle infielder in Arias, a power bat in Gonzales and a power arm in Perales. Meanwhile, for Boston, a rotation led by Skenes and Garrett Crochet would be a game-changer.' Advertisement Skenes has already established himself as one of the most exciting talents in baseball. However, Pittsburgh doesn't have much else on the roster. Here's the other thing: The franchise is notoriously cheap. Bowden doubted that the Pirates would be willing or able to shell out the "$350 million to $400 million" it would take to lock up Skenes before he hits free agency. For now, the Pirates are saying all the right things. When asked about the idea of trading Skenes, former Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said the idea was off the table. 'No, it's not at all part of the conversation,' Cherington said to reporters. Advertisement But should it be? Pittsburgh has the second-worst record in the National League and not much optimism to be a contender during the next few years. A Skenes trade could alter the course of the franchise moving forward. But it wouldn't come cheap. If you're the Red Sox, you have to consider it – even if it means giving up the No. 1 prospect in baseball. More Red Sox coverage Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Boston Red Sox lineup: Marcelo Mayer in cleanup spot, Connor Wong catching
Marcelo Mayer will bat cleanup for the Red Sox on Wednesday just five days into his major league career. Boston (27-30), losers of four straight games, will try to avoid a three-game sweep at Milwaukee. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. from American Family Field. Advertisement The 22-year-old Mayer, who was promoted Saturday when Boston placed Alex Bregman (significant quad strain) on the 10-day injured list, is 5-for-15 (.333) with a .375 on-base percentage, two doubles, one run, one walk and three strikeouts in four games. The offense has scored just five runs during its four-game losing streak. Nick Sogard will bat fifth behind Mayer. Connor Wong — who is 7-for-48 (.146) with no extra-base hits and no RBIs — is catching and batting eighth. Kristian Campbell has the day off. David Hamilton is at second base. It looks like it will be another tough game to score runs. The Red Sox will face Freddy Peralta, who has a 2.55 ERA in 11 starts for Milwaukee this season. Opponents are batting .201 against him. Advertisement BOSTON RED SOX (27-30) @ MILWAUKEE BREWERS (28-28) · AMERICAN FAMILY FIELD · MILWAUKEE, WI · GAME 58 FIRST PITCH: 1:10 p.m. ET TV CHANNEL: NESN (MLB Network out of market) RADIO: WEEI 93.7 FM PITCHING PROBABLES: RHP Brayan Bello (2-1, 4.08 ERA) vs. RHP Freddy Peralta (5-3, 2.55 ERA) RED SOX LINEUP: Jarren Duran LF Rafael Devers DH Wilyer Abreu RF Marcelo Mayer 3B Nick Sogard 1B Trevor Story SS David Hamilton 2B Connor Wong C Ceddanne Rafaela CF BREWERS LINEUP: Brice Turang 2B Jackson Chourio CF Christian Yelich DH William Contreras C Sal Frelick RF Isaac Collins LF Caleb Durbin 3B Jake Bauers 1B Joey Ortiz SS More Red Sox coverage Read the original article on MassLive.
