Red Sox’ recent surge may prove hitting coach change was exactly what Boston needed

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The Boston Red Sox’ season is starting to heat up under interim manager Chad Tracy, with a record of 7-4 since he took over. They just finished their first sweep of the season, and took three games from the Detroit Tigers.

In fact, that’s not the only thing heating up since the coaching change. The Sox’ offense has really come alive, and it’s probably thanks to them switching hitting coaches from Peter Fatse to interim Nelson Paulino.

Under Peter Fatse

Fatse was the Sox’ hitting coach from 2022 to April 25, 2025. In his tenure, the Sox hit .254/.321/.416/.738. This mediocre statline was a huge drop from their dynasty run, starting in 2004 to 2021. With Fatse, the Sox only had one playoff appearance, which was a Wild Card series loss against the New York Yankees.

This season, the Sox were at their worst offensively under Fatse. He had them being arguably the worst offensive team in baseball, as they were bottom four in OPS, RBI, SLG, total home runs and runs scored.

Under Nelson Paulino

Fatse was then replaced with Nelson Paulino, the Sox’ High A affiliate Greenville Drive’s hitting coach. Under him, the Sox’ offense has started to heat up, as they have scored 37 runs in only 10 games.

Also, their offensive team stats have been on the rise since the change. For the basic stats, the Sox’ .247 AVG is now 12th in the MLB, their .330 OBP eighth, and .362 SLG 23rd.

That last stat is a head-scratcher, but if we look at its advanced counterpart, it makes more sense. The Sox have an xSLG of .427, which is right place in the MLB. xSLG is expected slugging, meaning what the Sox’ slugging should be if defense and luck were removed from the equation. Their xAVG is .264, which is fourth in the MLB.

Boston’s offensive turnaround could continue

The Red Sox took the Tigers for a ride, and they are a top-10 pitching staff in the MLB. Now, they will face a true challenge in a division battle at home against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rays’ pitching is even better than Detroit’s. If the Sox can conquer them as well, their offense might truly be back.

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