Yankees fans torn on how to feel about Caleb Durbin's horrific start with Red Sox

Not long ago, Boston Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin was a fan-favorite prospect in the New York Yankees' farm system. The Yankees added Durbin to their 40-man roster following a 2024 season in which he impressed across 82 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hitting .287/.396/.471 with 10 homers, 60 RBI, and 29 stolen bases.

Shortly thereafter, Durbin was traded. The Yankees sent him and Nestor Cortes Jr. to the Milwaukee Brewers in December '24 for Devin Williams. It was a deal that Yankees fans came to detest, based on how Williams and Durbin performed in 2025. Williams was downright terrible for the first half of the season (losing the closer job), and Durbin excelled for the Brew Crew, ending up No. 3 in National League Rookie of the Year voting by season's end.

Then, Durbin was traded. Again. This time to the Boston Red Sox — along with Andruw Monasterio — in a February '25 deal that heavily swayed in Boston's favor on paper.

But Durbin's start to his Red Sox career has been something of a nightmare. Entering April 21, he's slashing .162/.260/.235 with 10 strikeouts to just six walks. The dreadful 11-for-68 stretch for Durbin at the plate has turned him into a mockery amongst impatient Red Sox fans. It was much worse last week, though. Yes, Durbin has brought his stats looked that much worse until his last four games.

While Red Sox fans hate on Caleb Durbin, Yankees fans are conflicted

Yankees fans are torn over Durbin's struggles. While they are obviously happy to see the Red Sox stinking it up (9-13 entering April 2), Durbin's Yankees days still linger in memory, and plenty of good-natured fans (who wish he was still here!) would love to see the kid escape from this slump.

He likely will. Durbin slashed .256/.334/.387 last season in Milwaukee with 11 homers. He can definitely hit major league pitching, and he's also only 26, suggesting he hasn't reached his ceiling, and will in Boston.

Caleb Durbin doesn't look comfortable with the Red Sox so far

Sometimes, a change of scenery hurts a player, causing a guy who was comfortable with his current club and culture to struggle as he adapts to the new organization. There's surely some of that going on with Durbin. To begin with, he was playing for one of baseball's top managers in Pat Murphy, and now he's moved on to Alex Cora, who isn't as good. And it's not even about who has the better manager, staff, or culture. It's just that it's different.

It's not an excuse, either. Plenty of guys rake when they come to a new team. It's part of the profession. Durbin's bat will come around soon enough, and any Yankees fans secretly rooting for him will be validated. Meanwhile, it appears the Yankees' front office hasn't stopped looking to sign Durbin-esque players since his departure.

Durbin wasn't in New York long enough to make his MLB debut in pinstripes, but he'll get to face the Yankees on April 21 when the Bombers head to Fenway Park for a three-game series.

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