The Boston Red Sox are in a rough patch this season, sitting at 18-24 and dealing with injuries to key players like Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony. But it's not just the injured stars causing headaches—one undersized infielder's struggles could turn a questionable offseason move into a full-blown disaster.

Caleb Durbin, the 5-foot-6 third baseman acquired in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, was brought in to replace free-agent departure Alex Bregman. After a solid 2025 campaign where he posted a 2.8 bWAR, a .256 batting average, and a .721 OPS (101 OPS+), expectations were reasonable. But through 40 games and 147 plate appearances this season, Durbin is hitting just .165 with a .485 OPS and a 40 OPS+—meaning he's performing 60 percent below the league average. Those are brutal numbers for any position player, let alone one counted on to anchor the hot corner.

Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller recently highlighted Durbin as the Red Sox player who needs a breakout most urgently. "The longer Durbin continues to languish down around a .500 OPS, the more legitimately Craig Breslow and Co. will be forced to consider that Hail Mary," Miller wrote. That "Hail Mary" would mean calling up infield prospect Franklin Arias to play second base and shifting Marcelo Mayer to third—a move that would effectively label the Durbin trade as one of the worst of the entire offseason.

With Boston's thin margin for error given their poor record, every at-bat counts. The Red Sox gambled on Durbin's 2025 promise, but if he can't turn things around quickly, this trade could haunt the franchise for years. All eyes are on the diminutive infielder to prove he belongs before the front office is forced into a desperate—and costly—plan B.