The 2023 Boston Red Sox season was the 123rd season in Boston Red Sox franchise history, and their 112th season at Fenway Park. The team was led by Alex Cora, in the third season of his second stint as the team's manager.
The Red Sox began their regular season on March 30, in a home game against the Baltimore Orioles. On September 14, Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom, who joined the team following the 2019 season, was fired, and Brian O'Halloran was removed as general manager, although not fired. On September 20, the team was eliminated from playoff contention for the second straight season. The team's season ended on October 1, finishing with a record of 78–84, in last place of the American League East. Average attendance was 32,989 for their 81 home games during the season, 12th-highest in the league.
The Red Sox ranked last in fielding among Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, and were criticized for poor pitching, a lack of pitching depth, and poor roster management.
Offseason The team entered the offseason with the status of several players, most notably Xander Bogaerts, unclear due to expiring contracts or opt-out clauses.
Rule changes MLB adopted several rule changes during the offseason. Briefly:
A pitch clock will now be used. Pitchers are now limited to two "disengagements" (such as making a pickoff throw) during each batter's plate appearance. Use of the infield shift is now restricted. All three bases are increased from square to square.
Additionally announced in February:
As was first done during the shortened 2020 season, all extra innings during the regular season will start with a runner on second base. When a position player can pitch has been slightly adjusted, based on the size of a team's lead and the inning.
October On October 11, the team claimed catcher Caleb Hamilton off waivers from the Minnesota Twins; in a corresponding move, outfielder Abraham Almonte was designated for assignment. Almonte subsequently elected to become a free agent. On October 13, the team claimed pitcher Jake Reed off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles; in a corresponding move, pitcher Eduard Bazardo was designated for assignment. Bazardo later elected to become a free agent. On October 31, pitcher Tyler Danish elected minor-league free agency, after being placed on waivers and removed from the 40-man roster by the team.
November On November 6, the following players elected free agency: Nathan Eovaldi, Rich Hill, J. D. Martinez, Matt Strahm, and Michael Wacha. On November 7, Xander Bogaerts elected free agency. On November 8, the team announced that pitcher James Paxton exercised his $4 million option to remain a member of the Red Sox for the 2023 season. On November 9, the team traded pitcher Easton McGee to the Seattle Mariners for cash. On November 10, the Red Sox announced that both the team and outfielder Tommy Pham declined a mutual option, making him a free agent. On November 10, the team selected the contract of infielder Enmanuel Valdez from the Worcester Red Sox. On November 15, the team designated two players for assignment—Caleb Hamilton and Jake Reed—and added five players to the 40-man roster: Wilyer Abreu, David Hamilton, Ceddanne Rafaela, Chris Murphy, and Brandon Walter. Reed was later claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Dodgers. On November 16, bench coach Will Venable left the team to join the Texas Rangers as associate manager. On November 18, the team non-tendered Yu Chang and Franchy Cordero, making both players free agents. On November 23, the team signed free-agent left-handed pitcher Joely Rodríguez to a one-year contract with a club option for 2024. On November 23, the team acquired infielder Hoy Park from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for minor-league left-handed pitcher Inmer Lobo. On November 29, the team promoted Ramón Vázquez to bench coach. On November 30, the team announced a 10-year agreement with MassMutual; the agreement includes the team wearing MassMutual uniform patches, and MassMutual signage at Fenway Park.
December
On December 2, the team sent catcher Ronaldo Hernández outright to Worcester, removing him from the 40-man roster. On December 7, minor-league pitcher Thad Ward—a fifth-round selection by Boston during the 2018 MLB draft—was selected by the Washington Nationals with the first pick of the 2022 Rule 5 draft. Also selected from Boston's minor-league system were pitchers Andrew Politi by the Baltimore Orioles and Noah Song by the Philadelphia Phillies. On December 8, the team signed free-agent pitcher Chris Martin to a two-year contract. On December 9, free-agent Xander Bogaerts, who had played 10 seasons with Boston, signed with the San Diego Padres. On December 13, the team signed free-agent reliever Kenley Jansen to a two-year contract; in a corresponding move, Hoy Park was designated for assignment. Park was subsequently traded to the Atlanta Braves for a player to be named later or cash considerations. On December 15, the team signed outfielder Masataka Yoshida, previously with the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), to a five-year contract; in a corresponding move, infielder Jeter Downs was designated for assignment. Downs was later claimed by the Washington Nationals. On December 16, the team acquired relief pitcher Wyatt Mills from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for minor-league pitcher Jacob Wallace. In a corresponding move, the Red Sox designated Eric Hosmer for assignment. Hosmer was released on December 22. On December 27, free-agent Nathan Eovaldi, who had spent the prior five seasons with Boston, signed with the Texas Rangers.
January
On January 3, the team and Rafael Devers agreed to terms on a one-year contract, avoiding salary arbitration. On January 4, the team named former MLB outfielder Kyle Hudson as first base coach and outfield instructor. On January 6, the team signed Justin Turner to a one-year contract; in a corresponding move, pitcher Darwinzon Hernández was designated for assignment. On January 10, the team announced that Trevor Story underwent surgery on his right ulnar collateral ligament (elbow), and that he would miss at least part of the 2023 season. On January 11, Darwinzon Hernández was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for cash considerations. On January 11, the team announced a 10-year contract extension, worth $331 million, with Rafael Devers. On January 12, the team signed pitcher Corey Kluber to a one-year contract for the 2023 season, with an option for 2024; in a corresponding move, pitcher Connor Seabold was designated for assignment. Seabold was subsequently traded to the Colorado Rockies. On January 13, the team reached agreement on one-year contracts with five players, avoiding salary arbitration: Christian Arroyo, Ryan Brasier, Reese McGuire, Nick Pivetta, and Alex Verdugo. On January 24, the team traded pitcher Josh Taylor to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for shortstop Adalberto Mondesí and a player to be named later. On January 24, the team signed outfielder Adam Duvall to a one-year contract; in a corresponding move, pitcher Matt Barnes was designated for assignment. On January 30, Barnes was traded to the Miami Marlins in exchange for relief pitcher Richard Bleier; in a corresponding move, relief pitcher Frank German was designated for assignment. German was later traded to the Chicago White Sox for minor-league pitcher Theo Denlinger.
February On February 16, the team signed infielder Yu Chang to a one-year contract; in a corresponding roster move, Trevor Story was placed on the 60-day injured list.
March On Opening Day, March 30, Adalberto Mondesí was placed on the 60-day injured list due to a left ACL tear; his spot on the 40-man roster was used to active Raimel Tapia.
Spring training "Truck day", when the tractor-trailer carrying the team's equipment departs Fenway Park for Florida, was February 3. The Red Sox had their first spring training game on February 24, a 5–3 exhibition win over the Northeastern Huskies at JetBlue Park. The Red Sox defeated Team Puerto Rico, 9–3, in an exhibition game on March 8. The Red Sox' preseason concluded on March 28. Boston's Grapefruit League schedule featured 18 home games and 16 away games. The team posted a 14–14 record while scoring 164 runs and allowing 161.
Regular season For the first time, MLB scheduled each team in the league to play every other team in the league during the regular season, resulting in Boston facing National League (NL) teams 46 times, compared to 20 times under prior scheduling. The team's schedule was constructed by MLB as follows:
13 games 4 AL East teams (Yankees, Blue Jays, Orioles, Rays) = 52 games 7 games 4 AL teams (Astros, Royals, Angels, Twins) = 28 games 6 games 6 AL teams (White Sox, Guardians, Tigers, Athletics, Mariners, Rangers) = 36 games 4 games 1 NL team (Braves) = 4 games 3 games 14 NL teams (all other NL teams) = 42 games Total: games
Opening Day lineup
Order No. Player Pos. 1 99 Alex Verdugo RF 2 11 Rafael Devers 3B 3 2 Justin Turner DH 4 7 Masataka Yoshida LF 5 18 Adam Duvall CF 6 36 Triston Casas 1B 7 39 Christian Arroyo 2B 8 3 Reese McGuire C 9 5 Kiké Hernández SS — 28 Corey Kluber P Source:
March / April March 30–April 2, vs. Baltimore Orioles
The Red Sox opened the season with a loss at Fenway to the Orioles. After trailing, 10–4, entering the eighth inning, the Red Sox scored five unanswered runs in the final two innings and had the tying run at second base when the game ended. Starter Corey Kluber took the loss after allowing five runs on six hits in innings. The Red Sox rallied from an early 7–1 deficit to win the second game of the series, 9–8. Trailing by a run entering the ninth inning, Orioles left fielder Ryan McKenna dropped a two-out fly ball, allowing the next batter, Adam Duvall, to hit a two-run walk-off home run. Boston starter Chris Sale allowed seven runs on seven hits in three innings, but escaped with a no decision. Reliever Kenley Jansen received the win. In the final game of the series, Boston again scored nine runs, defeating the Orioles by a 9–5 score. The Red Sox became the third MLB team since 1901 to score at least nine runs in each of their first three games, joining the 1976 Cincinnati Reds and 1978 Milwaukee Brewers. Five Boston batters had multiple hits, led by Duvall with three hits and two RBIs. Starter Tanner Houck earned the win after allowing three runs on five hits in five innings.
Red Sox won the series 2–1 (27–23 runs)
April 3–April 5, vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Boston lost the opener of a three-game series against the Pirates, 7–6. The Red Sox had a 5–3 lead after the first inning, but trailed 7–5 after four innings. Alex Verdugo had three hits. Starter Kutter Crawford took the loss after allowing seven runs on eight hits in four innings. In the middle game of the series, the Red Sox scored once in the bottom of the first inning, then were shutout for the remainder of the game, a 4–1 win for Pittsburgh. Reese McGuire had two of Boston's four hits. Starter Nick Pivetta allowed three runs (one earned) on three hits in five innings and took the loss. The final game of the series was another 4–1 win for the Pirates, completing their series sweep. Christian Arroyo had two hits and drove in Boston's only run. Starter Corey Kluber allowed one run on three hits in five innings and took the loss.
Red Sox lost the series 0–3 (8–15 runs)
April 6–April 9, at Detroit Tigers