The Boston Red Sox, after a strong showing in the World Baseball Classic, have struggled in the 2026 season, currently sitting at 18-25. Their poor performance has raised questions about whether the WBC contributed to their slow start.
Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony
Is World Baseball Classic To Blame For Red Sox's Slow Start? originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
It seems like forever ago, but it was just two months ago that the Boston Red Sox were dominating the World Baseball Classic. Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran and others took the WBC by storm, making the Red Sox look like a potential juggernaut this year.
Instead, many of them slumped once the actual season started. A quarter of the way through the 2026 campaign, Boston has yet to get untracked, going 18-25 and toiling at the bottom of the AL East standings.
Unfortunately for the Red Sox, their strong WBC has not carried over into the regular season. And they're not the only ones.
Boston was one of seven teams that sent at least 14 players to the tournament, according to The Athletic (subscription required). Of those seven, six had a winning record last year.
The Boston Red Sox currently have a record of 18-25 in the 2026 season.
Several Red Sox players, including Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu, performed well in the World Baseball Classic but have since struggled in the regular season.
The Red Sox's slow start has been attributed to a slump among key players who excelled in the World Baseball Classic.
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Entering play on Friday, however, only two of those seven teams have a winning record, including just one team that finished last year over .500 (the Milwaukee Brewers).
That shouldn't be surprising, however, as the WBC is a major disruption to spring training, players' preparation schedules and team chemistry. Accordingly, several teams didn't look ready for the start of the season, including the Red Sox.
The WBC isn't the only reason for Boston's struggles, of course, but it certainly didn't help.