Red Sox’s best hitters this year aren’t even in the starting lineup originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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It’s no secret that the Boston Red Sox are going through some major struggles this season. With their pitching staff depleted due to injuries and their offense being incredibly lackluster, the 2026 season has been a disaster so far.
But not everything is terrible for the Red Sox. They actually have one facet of their offense that’s performing well.
However, as Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report highlighted, their best hitter isn’t actually in the lineup this year, as the team’s most productive batter is whoever is pinch-hitting for the team this season.
Red Sox’s most productive hitter is a pinch-hitter
“Boston Red Sox: Best hitters have been pinch hitters,” Miller writes. “For the Red Sox, though, pinch hitters have had the most reliable bats, hitting .318 with an .875 OPS, which is better than any of the starting spots in their lineup.”
The Red Sox offense has been severely underwhelming this season, but when the team pinch-hits this year, things typically go well.
Roman Anthony hit a homer after pinch-hitting this season, while Marcelo Mayer and Masataka Yoshida, among others, have produced in this role for Boston in 2026.
Compared to the rest of the offense, the .875 OPS would be the highest mark if the Red Sox’s pinch-hitters were an individual player.
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Willson Contreras has the highest OPS on the team at .856, with Wilyer Abreu’s .832 and Yoshida’s .785 OPS the only other hitters above a .700 OPS this season.
The .318 average from pinch-hitters this season would also be the best on the roster, with Abreu’s .297 average the best on the team.
Boston is having more success when they pinch-hit than from their normal starters at every spot in the lineup. Miller noted the league-average for pinch-hitters is a .659 OPS, which would be worse than every other position’s average this year.
But, for the Red Sox, things are backwards. Pinch hitters are more productive than the normal hitters in the lineup. This likely won’t last, but it’s still a ridiculous statistic to show how poorly things are going for Boston this year.
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