International Red Sox:Volume #12

We are now almost in August, with the trade deadline approaching, and speaking of the trade deadline, the Red Sox made the first big move, acquiring Curtis Mead from the Nationals for lefty Connelly Early, in what has been a controversial move, to say the least. Overseas, the NPB has released its video game, eBaseball Pro Spirit 2026, into American markets, which is a milestone. Additionally, the NPB is currently going through its two-game All-Star series. (Author’s note: Statistics are current as of 7/28/26).

Yu Chang has returned from his mysterious absence, and it was a near-even split between last week and this week. Chang returned on the 22nd and picked up where he left off by going 1-3 with a walk against the U-Lions. The next day for him was even better, as he went 1-3 with a walk, but also recorded his 12th home run of the year, leaving him now only two short of his career high (14), which he accomplished last season. Chang finished his run of form, going 1-6 with an RBI and two runs for the Rakuten Monkeys.

However, it was all downhill from there, as over his next three games he went 0-for-9 with four strikeouts, lowering his average to .299, the lowest it has been since after opening day, when he had a .250 average.

Chang has been quite bipolar with his play, as this last update has shown, and while he’s still putting up good numbers, they’re a far cry from what they were earlier in the year.

In eBaseball Pro Spirit, Dalbec has a power grade of an “A”, and he showed that off after a rare Monday game, where he went 0-3. Tuesday was his best overall day of the week, as he went 3-4, with three RBI, which is good for one of his biggest performances in a while. Wednesday was a lot quieter, as he went 1-4 with 2 strikeouts, but still preserved his batting average. Now Friday was a peak Dalbec performance, where he went 1-4 with a 2-run, go-ahead homer in the 9th inning, for his 16th home run of the year, while also striking out twice. Dalbec then went deep the next game, for his 17th homer of the season, while going 1-5 with a strikeout. Sunday was another solid performance, as he went 1-4.

Dalbec has been on a tear recently, as he’s now batting .262, and his OPS has hit .800 flat, which is good for a 140 OPS+.

Like Chang, Bryan Mata has also returned, but this time in a different role, as he was thrust into a bullpen role, akin to the one Brayan Bello was put in, as Mata worked four innings in relief on Thursday, where he recorded a save, allowed 3 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, and only 1 earned run.

So far, Mata has impressed on the farm, posting a 2.95 ERA and 1.23 WHIP over 61 innings pitched.

The scoreless streak for Darwinzon Hernandez has ended. However, it took a while this week to reach that point. On Monday, he recorded a hold while pitching 0.2 innings and getting the duo of batters he faced out, en route to a hold. His next outing was Friday, when he had another clean inning of relief, striking out one. However, Saturday is where it went wrong, as over 5 batters faced, he allowed two hits, and that gave way to a duo of earned runs.

Even with the slip-up, Hernandez has been phenomenal this season, pitching to a 1.71 ERA, with a 1.22 WHIP, as he has returned to his elite relief status in Japan.

It’s more mediocrity for Lin, as it’s yet another uneventful update. In good news, he did nab a double in a 1-4 outing on the 21st, his first XBH since the 4th. He then would go hitless until the 25th, where he again went 1-4 with a double. His batting average has plummeted to .246, and his OPS has fallen to a .627 clip, so it’s more poor performance for him.