Ten days ago, the Red Sox were the fourth-worst team in the American League and sitting dead last in the AL East. That's not a typo, and it's not ancient history — that was July 2. Since then, Boston has ripped off one of the more absurd turnarounds of the 2026 season, and suddenly the Red Sox are breathing down the necks of the Twins and Mariners for the final AL wild card spot.
Jeff Passan laid out the numbers on just how fast Boston has closed the gap.
Passan's math says it all: 6.5 games back with six teams to jump on July 2, down to a half-game behind Minnesota and Seattle for that final wild card spot as of July 11. That's not a slow crawl up the standings — that's a full-blown sprint, the kind of stretch that reshapes a season and, with it, the betting markets around this club.
The engine behind the surge has been an 8-game winning streak, capped by a sweep of the Angels and, according to reporting, a series sweep of the White Sox that pushed Boston's record over the last 10 games to among the best in baseball. Willson Contreras, who's been a driving force in the lineup during the run, was rewarded with an AL All-Star nod alongside Aroldis Chapman and Ranger Suarez heading into the break.
None of this erases the hole Boston dug for itself earlier in the year. A team that looked like a seller in early July now looks like it could be buying at the deadline instead — the kind of whiplash that makes front offices sweat and fan bases lose their minds in the best way. Six weeks ago this was a last-place club; now it's a half-game from October.
The stretch run before the All-Star break is exactly the kind of moment that decides whether a hot streak is real or a mirage. If Boston can keep pace with Minnesota and Seattle over the next few series, this stops being a feel-good stat from Jeff Passan and starts being an actual playoff race with the Red Sox in the middle of it.