Timeline: 2020s

2020

A season that was shortened to 60 games due to the Coronavirus pandemic is one the Red Sox would like to forget. Under manager Ron Roenicke, the Sox went 24-36 and were victimized by a decided lack of pitching in the rotation and the bullpen. The club's two best starting pitchers -- Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez -- combined to throw zero pitches. Sale underwent Tommy John Surgery. Rodriguez suffered through Covid-19 and then developed myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart. Offensively, the Sox got a solid season from Alex Verdugo (.308/.367.478), who was the main acquisition piece in the blockbuster that sent Mookie Betts to the Dodgers. Slugger J.D. Martinez suffered through his worst season (.213/.291/.389) in years, and Andrew Benintendi struggled mightily (4-for-39) before being shut down for the final few weeks of the season with a right ribcage strain. Prospect Tanner Houck created hope by season's end with three consecutive brilliant starts. Roenicke was dismissed at the end of the season and ultimately replaced by Alex Cora, who managed the Sox in 2018-19 but had to step aside in '20 due to his ties to a cheating scandal while he was bench coach in '17.

2021

A season that started with low expectations from every preseason prognosticator turned into a highly-rewarding campaign which ended just two wins shy of the World Series. Manager Alex Cora was re-hired after a one-year hiatus and made an immediate impact, guiding his team to a hot start and gathering them after they stumbled in August. The Sox won 92 games and clinched a Wild Card spot with a thrilling comeback in the final game of the regular season.

With home field advantage for the Wild Card Game against the Yankees, the Red sox thrilled a raucous Fenway crowd with a 6-2 victory. After losing Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Rays, the Sox won the next three games to bounce their 100-win division rivals. After a promising start which included a 2-1 lead in the ALCS against the Astros, the Sox cooled off and got bounced in six games.

During the season, the offense was lethal when at its best, and led by the Silver Slugger-winning left side of the infield of third baseman Rafael Devers and shortstop Xander Bogaerts. DH J.D. Martinez had a strong bounce-back season. Alex Verdugo won fans over with his fire and production. Kik¨¦ Hern¨¢ndez was a sparkplug as a free-agent pickup and went on an historic six-game hot streak in the playoffs. The pitching staff was led by fireballing righty starter Nathan Eovaldi and Rule 5 rookie reliever Garrett Whitlock. Chris Sale came back from Tommy John Surgery in August and should be back to full strength going forward.

2022

In a reversal of 2021, when the Red Sox were expected to be non-contenders and wound up two wins from the World Series, the '22 squad had high hopes going in and never lived up to them, finishing 78-84 and in last place in the American League East. It continued a topsy-turvy period of Red Sox history, when the club finished last five times in 11 seasons while also mixing in two World Series titles, four AL East division crowns and five postseason appearances over that span.

Rafael Devers (.295/.358/521, 27 homers, 42 doubles) led the team with his second consecutive All-Star season.. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts had another strong season (.307 average, 15 homers, solid defense) but wound up signing with the Padres via free agency in December, ending an association with the Red Sox that started when he was signed out of Aruba in 2009. Two other cornerstones from the '18 World Series team, J.D. Martinez and Nathan Eovaldi found new homes in Los Angeles and Texas respectively in the offseason.

Trevor Story was signed to a six-year, $140-million contract in Spring Training but was limited to 94 games due to injuries. For the third straight year, ace Chris Sale spent the majority of his time on the injured list, making only two starts. By far the biggest issue in 2022 was the bullpen, which ranked 26th in the Majors in ERA. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom attempted to fix that issue going forward when he made three key acquisitions before the end of the calendar year in Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin and Joely Rodr¨ªguez.

2023

The Red Sox were hoping to get back to the postseason but instead matched their record (78-84) and last-place finish in the American League East from the season before. Still, there were moments to remember and individual performances for the club to feel good about.

Kenley Jansen, the venerable closer in his first season in Boston, picked up his 400th career save on May 10 in Atlanta. Alex Verdugo ripped three walk-off hits between April 18-May 1 and was a Gold Glove finalist in right field. Triston Casas recovered from a slow start to finish third in the American League Rookie of the Year Award voting and was one of the most dangerous hitters in MLB after the All-Star break. Chris Sale pitched more than 100 innings in a season for the first time since 2019. Bryan Bello, in his first full season, looked like a front-line starter at times, and won 12 games. Chris Martin had one of the most dominant seasons (1.05 ERA, 1.03 WHIP) for a setup reliever in Red Sox history. Rafael Devers recovered from a disappointing first half to finish the season with 33 homers and 100 RBIs.

The Red Sox relieved chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom of his duties in September and named former Sox reliever Craig Breslow as his successor in late October.