Red Sox's Complete Guide, Preview for 2nd Half of 2022 MLB Season

The Boston Red Sox were 10-19 on May 8, and it was quickly shaping up to be a lost season in a tough AL East race. But they rebounded with a 20-6 month of June to climb back into the AL playoff picture.

They still have a long way to go to chase down the rival New York Yankees in the division race, but they are squarely in the wild-card conversation even with a slow start to July.

The question now is how aggressively they'll pursue upgrades at the trade deadline, and there are a number of areas they could look to upgrade if they decide to push their chips in.

Ahead, we've provided a preview for the second half of the season, complete with potential X-factors, a trade deadline outlook and a blueprint for this Red Sox team to reach the postseason.

Second-Half X-Factors

Chris Sale (Set Number: X163840 TK1)

Baseball: Boston Red Sox Chris Sale (41) in action, pitching vs Houston Astros at Fenway Park. Game 5. Boston, MA 10/20/2021 CREDIT: Erick W. Rasco (Photo by Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X163840 TK1)

SP Chris Sale

Sale missed the first 87 games of the season with a fracture in his right rib cage before finally making his 2022 debut on Tuesday with five scoreless innings against the Tampa Bay Rays. The 33-year-old has pitched just 42.2 innings the past two seasons, so expecting him to shoulder a huge workload might be wishful thinking, but he can still be a huge factor in the second half.

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1B Triston Casas

With Bobby Dalbec (240 PA, 74 OPS+, .208 BA, 30.0 K%) and Franchy Cordero (207 PA, 93 OPS+, .236 BA, 30.0 K%) both putting up below-average numbers offensively, first base is a clear area for the Red Sox to upgrade. Casas could be an in-house upgrade, but he's sidelined with an ankle injury, calling into question whether he'll be ready to make his MLB debut in 2022.

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SPs Nathan Eovaldi/Rich Hill/Michael Wacha/Garrett Whitlock

The Red Sox have used 12 different starting pitchers already this season, and they are without Eovaldi (lower back inflammation), Hill (knee sprain), Wacha (shoulder inflammation) and Whitlock (hip inflammation). The emergence of Nick Pivetta and the return of Chris Sale helps, but they need to get significant innings out of that foursome in the second half.

Trade Deadline Outlook

Daniel Bard (Zac BonDurant/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

PHOENIX, AZ - JULY 10: Colorado Rockies Right-Handed Pitcher Daniel Bard (52) comes into the close out the game during a Baseball game between the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 10, 2022, at Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ. (Photo by Zac BonDurant/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

A role change for Tanner Houck and a breakout season from John Schreiber (31 G, 15 HLD, 0.60 ERA) has helped ease the Red Sox's bullpen woes, but upgrading a relief corps that has 18 blown saves in 36 chances still figures to be a top priority.

As always, there are a number of bullpen options on the trade block, including rentals like Michael Fulmer (DET) and David Robertson (CHC), but a reunion with Daniel Bard (COL)—who spent the first five seasons of his career in Boston before a long, winding journey that saw him out of the majors for six seasons—might be the best bet.

If they don't think Triston Casas is going to be ready to make an impact at first base, the front office could also explore an upgrade there, with Washington Nationals free-agent-to-be Josh Bell atop the list of candidates.

A major rotation upgrade might not be in the cards, but they could look to add some veteran depth in Jose Quintana, Zach Davies or Chad Kuhl.

The Red Sox Make the Postseason If...

Elsa/Getty Images

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 14: Rafael Devers #11 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates his three run home run with teammate Xander Bogaerts in the fourth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Fenway Park on June 14, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

First and foremost, the Red Sox are going to have to play better against the rest of the AL East.

They have gone an ugly 11-22 against divisional foes so far this season, and they still have another 42 games remaining against the New York Yankees (x12), Tampa Bay Rays (x10), Toronto Blue Jays (x9) and Baltimore Orioles (x11).

They also need to get healthy in the starting rotation, as their tightrope walk with four of their starters on the injured list is not a recipe for sustained success.

The second half will begin with a 10-game homestand, giving them a great opportunity to get their bearings before the calendar flips to August and the trade deadline arrives.

With five viable contenders in the AL East right now, along with the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Guardians, the AL wild-card race is crowded, so the Red Sox have an uphill battle ahead of them to punch their ticket to October.

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All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and accurate through Tuesday's games.