Lucas Giolito was sure it was a hit.
As soon as he saw the baseball bounding down the third-base line during a recent start, the Red Sox starter was certain he’d given up an infield single. At best.
“He’s going to beat that out,” Giolito said to himself. “There’s no chance.”
But Boston third baseman Alex Bregman had other plans. Bregman pounced on the ball and fired it to first base in time, recording an out Giolito never expected.
“Breggy made a sick [play] for me,” Giolito said.
That’s been the new normal for Giolito and the rest of the Red Sox, who are benefiting from much-improved infield defense in the second half of 2025. Boston’s infielders have seemingly flipped a switch since the start of August, going from one of MLB’s poorest-fielding infields to an above-average unit almost overnight.
“It’s huge,” shortstop Trevor Story said. “In this game at this level, you can’t give away outs. Anytime the ball’s on the ground, we feel like we’re going to turn it into an out.”
Here’s how the Red Sox have shored up a key weakness and how it can impact the 2025 postseason race.
Getting in a groove
It’s little secret that defense hasn’t exactly been Boston’s strong suit in recent years.
The Red Sox ranked dead last in MLB in Statcast’s Fielding Run Value in 2023 at a whopping -47 runs. In 2024, they were 23rd at -21. Where infield defense alone was concerned, Boston was last in the Majors in both seasons -- at -28 in 2023 and -30 in 2024.
This year appeared to be more of the same. While a Red Sox outfield led by Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu fared much better with the gloves, Boston’s infield struggled: -7 fielding runs in March/April, -4 in May, -6 in June and -4 in July.
Then … +6 in August? How does that happen?
There’s no secret sauce, Story admits, but having a more set infield certainly helps.
“I think we’re just kind of getting in a groove with the versatility and who’s playing where,” the veteran shortstop said. “It takes a little bit to get used to your infield as a group.”
Story has been a stalwart at short, but Bregman’s return from a quad injury in late May that cost him nearly two months has been crucial. First base has been split between Nathaniel Lowe (signed as a free agent in August) and Romy Gonzalez, while Gonzalez has gotten the most reps at second base with Nick Sogard and David Hamilton rotating in at the position on occasion.
“The communication up the middle is the main thing,” Story said. “It’s a little easier when you have the guy there throughout the whole season. Obviously, that’s not going to happen. I feel like now, we’ve had enough reps with each of the guys at second to feel really good about it.”
Two players currently at Triple-A Worcester accounted for a large part of Boston’s infield struggles early in the year. Rookie Kristian Campbell, Boston’s Opening Day starter at second base, owns a -9 Fielding Run Value mark in 2025. First baseman Abraham Toro is at -4.
With what they feel is the right combination of players on their roster for the stretch run, the Red Sox appear to be in better shape.
“We’re very comfortable with the infield we have right now,” manager Alex Cora said.
The veteran effect
Of course, having Bregman and Story holding things down on the left side goes a long way.
Not only have the two combined for 55 doubles, 42 home runs and a .786 OPS entering Friday, but they’ve been an improvement defensively for the Red Sox.
That’s not a high bar -- Rafaela and Hamilton were worth -8 fielding runs at shortstop in 2024, while Story has been worth -4 this season -- but it can make a big difference. Bregman’s +2 Fielding Run Value at third base (compared to Boston’s -9 at the hot corner last season) is a huge step up at a key position.
“Those two guys on that side of the infield, they’re great,” Cora said. “What Alex is doing at third base is amazing.”
Purely in terms of his range, Bregman’s +2 Outs Above Average are tied for 11th among 40 qualifying third basemen. But his other attributes play a key role, too -- on and off the field.
Giolito, for instance, said Bregman is known to approach Red Sox pitchers to discuss their repertoires and pitch usage.
“The stuff he does defensively is great at third, but also what he adds just from a teammate perspective as a guy that’s won a lot in his career and coming here and helping guys get that feel for what it’s like to win and the expectation of winning,” Giolito said. “He cares so much about winning that he wants to help everybody.”
Pairing that with Story’s experience and athletic ability at shortstop has been important for Boston this season. The veteran has made a number of impressive jump throws from his position and has been playing league-average defense at shortstop since the start of June.
He attributed his improvement to changes in defensive positioning by the Red Sox.
“Personally, I know we shifted a little less, and I think that’s when I started getting more balls that I felt like I could get to,” Story said. “Just using the natural range, I guess.”
If Bregman and Story can keep holding things down on the left side, it raises Boston’s defensive floor significantly.
“They know how to play the game, and it’s just a matter of keeping them healthy so they can put up a good run here toward the end of the season and hopefully to the playoffs,” Red Sox first-base coach/infield instructor José David Flores said.
Still room for improvement
Currently holding the third American League Wild Card spot, the Red Sox have a good shot at making their first postseason appearance since their run to the ALCS in 2021.
If they do, they’ll enter October with above-average defense at catcher, Rafaela and Abreu in the outfield and capable defense on the infield.
For pitchers such as Giolito, that matters more than one might think.
“Usually, I’ve pitched in my career more toward trying to get whiffs and get strikeouts,” Giolito said. “But with this team and how good our defense is – infield, outfield as well -- I’m just out there and it’s like, ‘Let’s just throw some quality pitches and get contact. It’ll get me deeper in the game.’ It’s worked out really well. Really well. I feel extremely confident in our infield.”
It’s hard to say if that will last. For all Boston’s improvement, Red Sox infielders (not counting catchers) have still committed 60 errors, tied with the Yankees for the most in the Majors. Story was tagged for a pair of errors on Thursday alone, each of which brought in runs. In September, the club’s infield Fielding Run Value sits at -3.
While that’s better than where the Red Sox have been not long ago, there’s still room for improvement. If Boston can keep upgrading its infield defense, it could make all the difference at a crucial time.
“I think the best teams in October are solid defensively,” Story said. “I think that’s where it starts. You can’t give away outs at this level, and especially later in the season and the better teams you play, you’ve got to turn those into outs. I’m proud of the way that we’ve done better, and there’s still some things to clean up.”