Will Red Sox make a playoff push and other storylines for the second half

BOSTON -- It looks like we have ourselves a baseball season in Boston. The Red Sox are right in the thick of the wild card hunt as they begin the unofficial second half of the 2023 season on Friday night in Chicago.

Granted, Boston is presently on the outside looking in, but the Sox are just one game back of the New York Yankees and two games back of a playoff spot. It was an up and down first half of the campaign, but the Red Sox are currently on an upswing, winners of five straight and eight of their last nine.

Can they keep this up? Will they show Chaim Bloom that they're a team worth adding to at the trade deadline in two weeks? Or will things go south -- as they did last season at this time -- and force the front office to trade away pieces and build for the future yet again?

We'll find out those answers in the very near future, but at the moment, at least there is a reason to care about Boston baseball in mid-July and August -- and hopefully September and October. Here are a few of the storylines that will dictate which direction the team goes, or ones that will at least keep some of our attention over the coming weeks and months.

Brayan Bello

The 24-year-old has taken over as the team's unofficial ace and looks like he'll be a front-line starter for years to come. He is the reason to watch this team every fifth night, with a 3.04 ERA and 70 K's over his 80 innings of work. Bello has really taken things up a notch since June, sporting a 2.21 ERA while opposing hitters are batting just .195 against the young fireballers over the last six weeks.

Bello is on pace to toss 142.1 innings in the big leagues this season (plus six innings of Triple A work from his lone start for the WooSox). He threw 154.2 innings last season, but the majority of that work (96 innings) came in the low-pressure setting of the minors. He's a key to the Red Sox making a run to the playoffs this season, but the team will have to monitor his workload as the season progresses.

But there is no doubt that Bello has developed into must-watch material this season, which is great news for the Red Sox.

Getting some arms back

The return of three injured starters would help Boston lighten the load on Bello. It would be wonderful if this team never has to rely on an "opener" again, but that is no guarantee. Garrett Whitlock (bone bruise), Tanner Houck (facial fracture), and Chris Sale (shoulder/being Chris Sale) are all on the IL, leaving the Boston rotation extremely thin. 

Whitlock's injury wasn't considered serious, but it's unclear when he'll be back. And when he does return, he'll need to be much better than the 5.23 ERA he put up in his 10 starts this season. How he pitches the rest of the way could be the determining factor of whether he's a starter or a reliever going forward. 

Houck started throwing again over the All-Star break after having a metal plate inserted into the right side of his face, but he likely won't be back until August. His continued development is important to the back-end (or middle) of the Boston rotation.

And then there is Sale, who isn't eligible to come off the 60-day IL until Aug. 1, and there's no word on if he'll be ready to go by that date. He had turned a corner before suffering his shoulder injury on June 8, and was 4-1 with a 2.87 ERA with opponents hitting just .216 against him before getting hurt. 

While getting these arms back should help the rotation, the Red Sox cannot sell us on their (potential) returns as being deadline pickups. Go out and get another arm, though that is another story for another section.

Trevor Story's return

Speaking of a story, the Red Sox are hoping to get their starting shortstop back sometime in the near future. Trevor Story should be starting a rehab stint in the coming weeks (perhaps even days) and his return will give Boston another solid bat in the lineup and some stability at shortstop. 

Story hit just .238 in his first season with the team, but he clubbed 16 homers with 38 extra-base hits to go with 66 RBI in 94 games last season.

Defense has to get better, right?

While questions remain about Story's elbow and whether or not he can play short after spending last season at second base, things can't possibly get worse at shortstop from a defensive standpoint. 

Kiké Hernández leads everyone in the sport with 15 errors at shortstop this season, forcing Boston to use the likes of Yu Chang, Pablo Reyes, and David Hamilton at the position. Story's return should help stabilize that spot in the infield, and maybe the team's defense will improve with his return.

Again, it can't get much worse. The Red Sox have 61 errors on the season, second to only the San Francisco Giants and their 64 miscues. 

Yoshida's ROY push

Macho Man had an excellent first half of the season, hitting .316 with 10 home runs, 19 doubles and 44 RBI. When Yoshida was hot, he was scorching, going seven straight games with multiple hits at one point. He is firmly entrenched in the AL Rookie of the Year race.

A strong second half could give him the edge over the likes of Texas' Josh Jung and Baltimore's Gunnar Henderson. It would also likely mean the Red Sox are winning ballgames. 

To Buy or Not To Buy?

At the moment, the Red Sox have no excuse not to be buyers at the Aug. 1 trade deadline. They are in constant flirtations with a wild card spot, and that will continue if they could consistently beat bad teams. They have plenty of those on the docket out of the break, a stretch they must take advantage of.

But maybe Bloom can get away with being a buyer and a seller at the deadline. Adding another arm to the rotation seems like a must at this point if the Sox want to contend. As for selling, moving Adam Duvall may net something for organizational depth while also clearing a path for Jarren Duran to play every day. And Jarren Duran should play every day with the way he's raking at the plate.

If things do go south over the next two weeks, Bloom has plenty of veterans on short-term contracts -- Paxton, All-Star closer Kenley Jansen, reliever Chris Martin, and Justin Turner -- who could be flipped for young talent. Hopefully, it doesn't come to that and baseball remains meaningful for several more months in Boston.