ESPN’s Buster Olney took to Twitter on Thursday afternoon to offer an interesting theory floating around the Red Sox' offensive issues through the first month of the season.
It’s been a tumultuous week for the Boston Red Sox, who enter Thursday’s much-needed off day at 12-19 and in last place in the American League East. Their struggles have been due, in part, to an offense that can’t seem to find any rhythm on a nightly basis. On Thursday, ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney floated an interesting theory going around the league about the Red Sox' struggles at the plate. More on that in a moment.
Red Sox offense by the numbers
The Red Sox' offensive struggles have been well-documented through the first 31 games of the 2026 season. They enter Thursday's off day as one of the worst offenses in baseball, ranking in the bottom five in baseball in home runs, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, and weighted runs created+, as well as being bottom 10 in runs scored and batting average.
What's led to their struggles?
Olney took to Twitter/X on Thursday afternoon, offering a possible explanation floating around front offices about the Red Sox' offensive struggles, saying, “One of the interesting theories about the struggling Red Sox offense in rival front offices is that Boston has been impacted significantly by the enforcement of the coaching boxes. The Red Sox were regarded by some other teams as being extraordinary at ascertaining grips/relaying pitch types to hitters -- and that advantage is now gone.”
What Olney is describing is not necessarily illegal, but the Red Sox have been no strangers to controversy surrounding sign-stealing.
Boston was the subject of a 2017 investigation that they were using Apple Watches to relay signs from the clubhouse video room to coaches in the dugout.
Of course, former manager Alex Cora was suspended for the entirety of the COVID-shortened 2020 season thanks to his involvement in the Astros infamous sign-stealing campaign.
The most recent foray into sign stealing came during an early June series (2025) at Fenway Park with the Angels, where Los Angeles starter Tyler Anderson and several other members of the team took the field for warm-ups and began shouting at then-Red Sox first-base coach Jose David Flores. Cora chalked up the scuffles as “baseball talk,” but sources told WEEI’s Rob Bradford that Los Angeles believed the Red Sox were stealing signs.
Major League Baseball made a rule change ahead of the 2026 season to strictly enforce the parameters of the base coaches' box while a pitcher is standing on the rubber. The move was made to limit base coaches from getting a better angle on pitch grips ahead of delivery.
While Olney's theory could certainly be part of the reason for the Red Sox' offensive struggles, if your offense is built around hitters who can only perform well when they know what's coming, you probably didn't put together a very good team.
The Red Sox are off on Thursday before opening up a three game series against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park on Friday night.
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