In aftermath of Red Sox trade, struggles weigh on centerpiece of deal; ‘It’s all I think about’

KANSAS CITY — Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin has the worst OPS (.492) among qualified major league hitters, and he has two minor league options remaining.

So it might make sense for the Red Sox to option him to Triple-A Worcester to give him a chance to work to get on track in a less demanding environment.

Durbin said a potential demotion to the minors hasn’t been on his mind.

“That stuff’s out of my hands,” he said before the Red Sox’ 3-1 win over the Royals on Monday.

For a second consecutive game Monday, Nick Sogard started over Durbin at third base.

“At the end of the day, I want to be here,” Durbin said. “I want to be in the fight with these guys. I’m happy to be a Red Sox, and I’m confident that moving forward, it will turn eventually. But it’s like you want it to turn right now.”

• BETTING: For Tuesday’s clash between the Red Sox and the Royals, the over/under is currently set at 7.5 total runs on BetMGM. Our complete BetMGM Sportsbook review provides an in-depth guide on how to sign up and use their app.

It has been an extremely difficult first two months with the Red Sox. Durbin was the centerpiece player who Boston received in a six-player trade with the Brewers on Feb. 9. He finished third in the voting for the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year. And chief baseball officer Craig Breslow thought Durbin’s ability to pull the ball in the air would play well at Fenway. Durbin had a 20.4% pull air percentage in 2025.

But Durbin is in the bottom 10th percentile in the major leagues in hard-hit percentage (29.3%), average exit velocity (84.8 mph) and barrel percentage (0.9%).

The 26-year-old is 23 for 139 (.165) with a .247 on-base percentage and .245 slugging percentage in 43 games (155 plate appearances).

“I care about these guys so much and that’s the tough part,” Durbin said. “Coming over here, first year here, obviously you want to make a good impression and you want to come through for the guys. I haven’t played to my capabilities, but it’s not for a lack of effort and they know that.”

He said “the most frustrating part” is feeling like he’s not helping the team.

“Worst thing that you can go through is you feel like you’re not contributing,” Durbin said. “So for me, it’s like, lose the ego and just work through it and grind it out.”

Asked whether a stint at Triple-A might help him, Durbin expressed confidence in his ability to figure it out in the majors.

“I’m not where I want to be (offensively), and the tough part is I don’t think it’s because I’m getting sped up because of the competition,” Durbin said. “I’ve felt good at this level. At the same time, it’s like you do feel bad that you’re not helping the team the way you feel like you should.”

Durbin overcame great odds to make the majors. He’s only 5-foot-6. He played college ball at Division III Washington University in St. Louis. He was a 14th round pick in 2021. He made it here through hard work.

His backstory and gritty playing style could have made him a fan favorite in blue-collar Boston had he gotten off to a strong start. But he went 0 for 18 on the opening road trip and Sox fans booed him at the home opener after it turned into a 0-for-19 slump following his first plate appearance.

“That comes with this level,” Durbin said. “We’re in the big leagues. And for me, obviously you want to play well and you want everything to be good. You want to play well, you want the fans to be happy, you want to win. That’s the biggest thing is like when you’re winning, everyone’s happy. For me, obviously as a team we’re not where we want to be, which makes it tougher individually when you are going through it.”

His struggles have weighed on him when he has more time on his hands to think about it.

“It’s tougher honestly away from the field and pre-work. It’s all I think about,” he said. “This is our life. For me, like I know what I’m capable of. And like coming into the year, I had really high expectations. Obviously as a team we did and still a lot of ball left, but obviously the games we’ve played up to this point matter a lot, too. Every game matters. So it’s kind of where we’re at.”

Durbin is confident he can be the offensive player he was last year when he had a .334 on-base percentage.

“You don’t get to this level without hitting,” he said. “So that’s kind of where we’re at right now, is getting back to there.”

Durbin had success last year because he didn’t chase many pitches outside the strike zone and had a low strikeout percentage. He’s continued that this year. He ranks in the 91st percentile in whiff percentage (16.0%), 87th percentile in squared-up percentage (31.6%), 84th percentile in strikeout percentage (15.5%) and 69th percentile in chase percentage (26.3%). But while all those stats resemble last year’s numbers, the hits haven’t come this year.

“It’s a bad start, but it’s a long year and you’ve gotta try to find the reason why. Why are the results not where you think they should be, where they’ve been in the past?” Durbin said. “So it’s a daily grind to grind through it. And that’s the thing is you gotta keep a good attitude. As hard as it is sometimes, you’ve gotta accept it for what it is and just keep moving ahead and looking forward.”

Interim manager Chad Tracy said Durbin’s slump is not for a lack of effort or work. Durbin has been taking early batting practice and working diligently with interim hitting coach Collin Hetzler. Tracy said Durbin is “working his butt off.”

“I know when I’m going good, I’m using the whole field,” Durbin said. “And I feel like I’m not using the big part of the field as much as last year. Whether that’s an approach or mechanical thing is kind of where we’re at right now of working through it. Because the feels aren’t quite there, but it’s not far off. When I’m swinging at good pitches, I’m not gonna swing and miss a ton, but when I’m swinging at good pitches, the results are usually good. So that’s where it’s like head-scratching a little bit of, ‘Where are the results at?’”

Using the whole field is something Durbin and the Red Sox believe can help him get back on track.

“Trying to loosen up a little bit in the box, trying to release some tension,” he said. “Whether it’s physical tension or just pressing to try to get those results. I don’t think I’m pressing. I feel like I’m controlling the zone well still and not swinging out of my shoes, trying to do too much.”

He said part of the game is working hard to find the answers but it not usually a quick fix.

“You can dig yourself deeper mentally by trying to find a quick fix instead of just kind of loosening up, relaxing, playing the game,” he said. “So when it’s between the lines, it’s just compete mode.”

He is contributing defensively. His six defensive runs saved are the most among American League third basemen.

“That’s the thing with this game is like the hitting is the thing that will go kind of up and down,” Durbin said. “You never want it to go too far down. You want to keep the dips pretty minimal, but I’ve felt really good on the defensive side of the ball. So that definitely feels good.”

Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here.