This Red Sox Player's June Hitting Is Bright Spot For Team
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The Boston Red Sox are 30-43 through play on Thursday, but Caleb Durbin's turnaround in June has been a bright spot amid a rough stretch.
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The Red Sox are 5-10 this month, and their postseason chances are getting slimmer with every loss. However, Durbin has given the team at least something to be excited about. He came into the month hitting below .200, but has turned his season around. He has a .271/.294/.583 slash line this month and has hit four home runs.
Durbin spent time working with private hitting coaches and has seen results. His turnaround really dates back to the end of May, following back-to-back games on the bench. Since the benching, he is hitting .292 with a .904 OPS.
The Red Sox acquired Durbin after losing Alex Bregman. They gave up David Hamilton, Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan in the deal to land him, and the early results made the move look bad. Durbin was a National League Rookie of the Year candidate last season, so the Red Sox had high hopes.
Durbin slashed .256/.334/.387 last season, and had a .270/.346/.415 slash line with 10 home runs after the calendar flipped to June. He has looked more like the player he was last season this month. As the Red Sox try to claw their way back into contention, they can start to feel better about adding Durbin.
If he can finish the season strong, he may be the clear-cut third baseman going into next year. That would seem hard to believe after how he started. Durbin deserves a ton of credit for staying committed to the process and turning his season around.
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