Caleb Durbin, the National League Rookie of the Year finalist has been one of the worst hitters in baseball in 2026.
The Boston Red Sox improved to 20-27 on the season with a 3-1 Monday night win over the Kansas City Royals. For the second straight game, though, Red Sox offseason acquisition, third baseman Caleb Durbin, found himself out of the starting lineup. Has the 2025 National League Rookie of the Year Finalist already fallen out of favor with his new team?
Durbin by the numbers
It has been an incredibly disappointing sophomore season for the 26-year-old Durbin. By nearly all metrics, he has been one of the worst hitters in baseball. Among qualified hitters, he ranks in the bottom five in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. His weighted runs created+ (wRC+) of 37 and OPS of .419 rank dead last of the 173 qualified hitters in the league.
The underlying statistics are equally grim for the Red Sox' big offseason acquisition. Durbin ranks in the 10th percentile or lower in nearly all batted ball metrics, including hard-hit percentage and exit velocity. He is one of 14 hitters with one or fewer barrels on the season.
His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) of .193 would seem to indicate that he is due for some positive regression, however, Durbin simply isn't hitting the ball hard enough to believe that his slow start is simply a result of some poor batted ball luck. His 22.4% soft hit percentage is the seventh-highest in baseball.
It hasn't been all bad for Durbin though; he ranks among the best hitters in baseball in limiting strikeouts. His 15.5% strikeout rate is in the 83rd percentile among all hitters, and his whiff percentage sees him among the top 10 percent of hitters.
He has also been one of the best defensive third basemen in the sport; his outs above average of four is tied for the highest among all third basemen in baseball, while his defensive runs saved of six is tied for third at the position.
While Durbin's strong defensive play had been enough to keep him in the lineup despite his struggles at the plate, it now seems that the stranglehold he once had at third base is starting to slowly dissipate.
Revisiting the Durbin deal
The Red Sox acquired Durbin along with utility men Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler and a Competitive Balance Draft Pick in the 2026 Draft in exchange for starters Kyle Harrison, Shane Drohan, and infielder David Hamilton in a February deal with the Milwaukee Brewers.
While Durbin has been one of the worst hitters in baseball, Harrison has become the frontline starter that Craig Breslow dubbed him when he was acquired in the trade that sent Rafael Devers to San Francisco. The 24-year-old lefty has made eight starts for Milwaukee in 2026, posting a 2.09 ERA and striking out 11.17 batters per nine innings en route to a 4-1 record.
The Red Sox will look to secure the series win in Kansas City on Tuesday night. Ranger Suarez will get the start for Boston opposite Bailey Falter for Kansas City. First pitch from Kauffman Stadium set for 7:40 p.m. ET.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Remember to join our RED SOX on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Red Sox fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!
