Caleb Durbin still looking for first hit with Boston Red Sox

Baseball analysis requires the rejection of the "small sample," though no short-term stretch comes under a greater microscope during the regular season than what happens right at the beginning. The Boston Red Sox are off to a 1-5 start, and former Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin is the last remaining qualified Major Leaguer without a hit, opening the year 0-for-18 with five strikeouts and one walk. Needless to say, Red Sox fans have grown quickly annoyed with Durbin's start.

That chorus got even louder when one of the three players the Brewers received in the trade for Durbin, starting pitcher Kyle Harrison, delivered a smooth first outing against Tampa Bay on March 30. Durbin isn't the only player struggling on the Sox. Rising young star Roman Anthony is 5-for-22 with 11 strikeouts, though he did just hit his first homer of the year April 1, while regulars Trevor Story, Willson Contreras and Jarren Duren are all batting below .

200 with one homer among them. It goes without saying, but 18 at-bats is hardly a fair sample on which to judge. Nor is Durbin alone across baseball.

Nick Kurtz, the reigning American League Rookie of the Year for the Athletics who hit 36 homers in a monster 2025, is 1-for-17 with 11 strikeouts. Outfielders Kerry Carpenter (Detroit) and T. J.