The Red Sox are back in the playoff race

This season, three teams are making headlines for all the wrong reasons when it comes to controversy. The first is the Mets.

Why? Because they're the Mets.

The Giants are also in the mix. Manager Tony Vitello is often at the center of the action, but Logan Webb recently decided to criticize a reporter on Twitter before deleting his account afterward.

There have been quite a few stories like this in San Francisco this season.

But then there are the Red Sox.

The lack of leadership has been glaring in Boston since Alex Bregman's departure, since manager Alex Cora left, and because Craig Breslow is a controversial figure.

These factors have contributed to the Red Sox having a somewhat dismal start to the season, both on and off the field.

But things are looking up now. And looking at the standings, we can see that the Red Sox are back in the playoff race, sitting 2.5 games behind the best second-place spot.

Note: I'm not saying Boston will make the playoffs or that the team won't mess up again between now and the end of the 2026 regular season. But their climb up the standings right now is noteworthy.

After their loss on June 18, the Red Sox had a 29-43 record. They were 6.5 games out of the playoffs, and only the Angels were behind them in the American League standings.

Since then, the Red Sox have gone 14-5. Boston is five games away from the .500 mark (43-48), and the guys are playing well.

The players are settling in around town.

If the team doesn't trade its players (including Aroldis Chapman, whose name is being mentioned) by the deadline, and if guys like Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony were to return, could Boston make a run at it?

We'll see in due time.

I'll need to see more to believe it. But right now, Chad Tracy's men are staging a comeback worth watching. They're doing what they need to do to stay alive—something we didn't think was possible just a few weeks ago.

You might say the team is lucky not to be in the National League… but that's true for a lot of teams.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.