The Red Sox suffered a brutal loss today against the Atlanta Braves 10-2 final, but what made it worse was the fact that the Red Sox were only trailing 3-2 in the top of the 6th inning until Ronald Acuna Jr stepped up to the plate and hit a grand slam off right-handed reliever Greg Weissert.
It was a crushing outcome for the 31-year-old Weissert, who has a 0-1 record with a 4.43 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 22.1 innings pitched for the Boston Red Sox in 2026. Weissert has been pitching well recently; before today’s game, he hadn’t allowed a single earned run in his previous six outings. But Weissert’s tenure in Boston has been up and down, and he’s struggled to find long-term consistency.
Weissert Takes Responsibility For The Grand Slam
After the game, Weissert said, “Just can’t miss there….just bad execution”, stated Weissert in his postgame interview on NESN. Weissert has allowed several big home runs as a reliever in the Boston bullpen this year and in previous years. So far in 2026, Weissert has had five home runs hit off him. Weissert allowed just six home runs all year in 2025 throughout 72 appearances. Another concerning statistic with Weissert is the inherited runners he’s had cross the plate in his outings.
According to Mac Cerullo, who covers the Red Sox for the Boston Herald, “Weissert has a 57.1% inherited runners scored rate, in which 12 of 21 runners he’s inherited have scored this year, which Cerullo states ranks as the worst in the MLB currently for relievers that have inherited at least 20 runners”, states Cerullo.
Weissert First Came Up With The Yankees
Weissert, who originally came up with the New York Yankees in 2022, was acquired by the Boston Red Sox in the Alex Verdugo trade, along with right-handed pitcher Richard Fitts, back in December of 2023. Weissert, in two seasons with the Yankees from 2022-23, posted a -0.1 WAR with a 3-0 record, 4.60 ERA, and 33 strikeouts in 31.1 innings pitched. The Red Sox bullpen has not been very good this year, aside from a few names, including Aroldis Chapman, Tyler Samaniego, and Jovani Moran.
Chapman, the Red Sox closer and another ex-Yankee, has by far been their best reliever and one of the best relievers in all of baseball this year with an astonishing 0.51 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 17.2 innings pitched. Chapman has also recorded 12 saves up to this point in 12 opportunities, according to StatMuse.
Weissert’s surface numbers during his Red Sox tenure don’t appear bad. He has a career 3.02 ERA with 1.3 WAR in three seasons with the Red Sox (2023-25), but the problem with Weissert has been reliability. Greg Weissert has had some very bad moments in countless big games for the Boston Red Sox, and what makes it more puzzling is that he ranks in the 89th percentile this year in average exit velocity allowed (86.4 mph), according to Baseball Savant.
On the other hand, Weissert has struggled to generate significant swing and miss this year, posting a 31.3% chase percentage, 22.5% whiff percentage, and a 22.3% K percentage, according to Baseball Savant. His underlying metrics in this regard are improved compared to 2025, but it still leaves a lot to be desired for a Red Sox bullpen and team that’s used him in critical spots.
With the Red Sox now 23-32 in 5th place in the American League East and an astonishing 12 games back already of first place, it makes you wonder what changes the Red Sox could have moving forward, and if those changes involve Greg Weissert at all this season?
Greig Weissert Struggles As Red Sox Bullpen Implodes In Loss