With less than a week until Monday’s trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox are still expected to make more moves to bolster the roster for the stretch run in what’s expected to be a tight American League playoff race. That’s particularly important now that newly acquired infielder Curtis Mead has landed on the injured list with a broken left wrist.

With that in mind, we opened the mailbag for questions. In Part 1, we dug into the job chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is doing, Curtis Mead’s fit with the team, payroll projections, the rotation, bullpen trades and more.

In Part 2 here, we’ll look at more deadline scenarios, the rise of Franklin Arias, prospects who might be traded, Chad Tracy and more.

Questions have been lightly edited for clarity.

Is there any consideration for promoting Franklin Arias to the big leagues this season? Marcelo Mayer never hit like Arias in the minors. Maybe that’s the shortstop fix, and they spend their trade capital on a catcher or reliever? – Anonymous U

The Red Sox promoted Arias to Triple-A Worcester last week, so while it’s not out of the question he’d be promoted by the end of the season, it might be a bit aggressive for the 20-year-old. Arias hit .318 with a .993 OPS in 77 games this season at Double-A, where he was among the youngest players in the league. Arias was hitless through his first two games at Triple-A, but homered for his first hit on Tuesday. It might be tempting to promote him for the stretch run, but we’ve seen the pressure prospects in Boston face, not to mention the Red Sox are pushing for the postseason and Arias is still very young.

One curiosity at this deadline is that league sources have indicated the Red Sox are still pursuing upgrades at shortstop. That was the case even before Mead broke his wrist. The Red Sox view Arias as a future shortstop, but they already have Trevor Story about a month away from returning from sports hernia surgery. That’s not including Marcelo Mayer, also on the injury list with a forearm stress reaction.

Story and Mayer haven’t performed well this season, but throwing Arias into the mix adds a ton of pressure. Meanwhile, if Arias is their shortstop of the future, the Red Sox could have considered moving Story to second (Story is under contract through 2027 and owed $25 million next year), but the team just acquired Mead, who’s 25 and will likely be their long-term second baseman. Perhaps Story moves to second when he returns if Mead is still out, but it’s unclear now how long Mead will be sidelined. That also leaves Mayer as the odd man out, though he could be optioned to Triple A once healthy. Trading Story is an option, but finding a suitor might be tough. If the Red Sox do acquire another shortstop it would interfere with Arias’ future, unless they plan to trade him. If they acquire a shortstop and keep Arias, it further boxes out Story.

Which prospects/young players are more likely to be traded, and who is seen as untouchable? – Noah S

Since we’re on the topic of Arias, it is possible they trade him, though I do view that as highly unlikely. As the No. 4 prospect in baseball per The Athletic’s Keith Law, the Red Sox would likely only consider trading Arias for an All-Star player with several years of control. Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman fits that profile, and the Red Sox have been tied to him, but trading Arias still would be tough.

That said, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has proven willing to make tough trades of top prospects. He traded two of his top prospects in Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery for Garrett Crochet and dealt pitching prospect Luis Perales last winter for Jake Bennett. Breslow has been forthright in noting he’s willing to make tough trades (like trading Connelly Early for Mead) to help the current team. As far as other potential trade pieces, Mayer could be in that mix. Though he’s yet to find his rhythm at the plate, his standout defense, age (23) and years of control (through 2031) are all factors that would be enticing to teams.

Jarren Duran isn’t young anymore (in baseball terms, anyway), but has been on the trade block each of the last two years. He’s not having a good season at the plate, but still has shown flashes of the dynamic player he was two years ago. He would enhance any trade package. Young controllable pitching is always coveted and Breslow has shown a willingness to deal certain young pitchers. While he’s already dealt Early from the major league team, top pitching prospect Anthony Eyanson, a right-hander drafted in the third round last season, is having a breakout first season in pro ball with a 1.13 ERA in 15 games, 14 starts, between High A and Double A.

Trading Eyanson would also hurt, but like Arias, acquiring a young, controllable player in return to help the big league team now would be the objective.

Bobby Witt Jr. during the third inning of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Do the Sox have a realistic chance to acquire Bobby Witt Jr.? If so, what do you think the Sox would have to give up? I assume starting with Roman Anthony and Arias, plus. – Dennis M

Acquiring Witt, Kansas City’s 26-year-old All-Star shortstop, would require a haul, and yes, I’d have to imagine the Royals asking price starts with Anthony and Arias. Starters Payton Tolle and Eyanson would probably also be part of the Royals’ asking price. That’s a lot, of course, but Witt is under control through 2030 on a deal making an average salary of roughly $21 million. He’s finished in the top four in AL MVP the last two years and already made three All-Star teams with a career .288 average and .838 OPS through his first four and a half seasons.

The Red Sox might have a realistic package to send Kansas City. Whether they’d be willing to part with that many top players in their system is the question.

The Sox offense has improved since the Sox changed the team’s hitting staff. Do you see any changes from the new hitting staff that you believe might have made a difference? – Adam S

A lot of the offensive rhythm the team has found over the last month has been because they have very different personnel than at the start of the season.

Anthony, Mayer and Story have been on the IL with Triple-A call-ups like Tsung-Che Cheng, Anthony Seigler, and Nate Eaton mixing in, while utilityman Andruw Monasterio has seen increased playing time. One thing that’s been stressed by the hitting staff is for the group to play to its strengths. The current roster is full of players who are accustomed to small ball, like sacrifice hitting when needed and stealing bases to pressure defenses. That’s loosened the rest of the offense up. Earlier in the year, players were pressing too much by all trying to get the big hit and their offensive issues compounded. Doing the small things on offense has allowed the bigger bats to loosen up and that’s led to more homers, too. The offense has as much to do with the roster as it does the hitting coaches finding their rhythm with the club.

Why don’t the Red Sox promote Chad Tracy to full-time manager now? He certainly has earned it. – Ed S

There’s no doubt Tracy has earned it given the improbable turnaround the team has had this year. Not only did they reel off 15 straight wins, but almost as impressive is how they’ve played since the streak was snapped, not losing their way and falling back into a one-win-one-loss wave. Tracy will certainly continue to gain traction as a manager of the year candidate, especially if the Red Sox keep up this pace. As for his title, it’s possible they remove the interim tag after the trade deadline, but there are also more important things they’re trying to accomplish. Breslow seems pleased with how Tracy has operated, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s given him an internal vote of confidence but has more or less said we’ll deal with that in the offseason. To his credit, Tracy, who was inducted into Triple-A Worcester’s Hall of Fame last week, has brushed aside any questions about his title and remains focused on the day-to-day tasks of managing the club.

As torrential rain hit Glasgow on Tuesday night during the men’s 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games, Uganda’s Samuel Simba Cherop would have been forgiven had he abandoned the race midway when he lost his spike.

But the 20-year-old stoically carried on, finishing seventh despite running the final 15 laps in one spike and a sodden sock.

Cherop lost the spike after contact in the pack with 6,000 metres remaining in the rain-soaked final at Scotstoun Stadium in the West End of the Scottish city.

He briefly attempted to refit the shoe before discarding it and recovered from losing contact with the leaders to record a personal-best time of 27 minutes and 56.68 seconds.

Cherop was the highest-placed of Uganda’s three runners, with Dan Kibet finishing 11th in 28:05.84 and Oscar Chelimo placing 12th in 28:10.49.

Running with one shoe in the rain 😅

Uganda’s Samuel Simba Cherop finished with a PB in the men’s 10,000km in one shoe and one very soggy sock after losing his other shoe along the way 👟 pic.twitter.com/xerR4tHBZG

— TNT Sports (@tntsports) July 28, 2026

Australia’s Ky Robinson won gold in 27:48.93, ahead of India’s Gulveer Singh and the Isle of Man’s David Mullarkey, who finished second and third respectively.

“There was a lot of jostling out there,” Robinson said, adding that the runners had to concentrate on remaining upright and avoiding trouble.

The result ended Uganda’s sequence of five consecutive Commonwealth men’s 10,000m titles, which began with Boniface Kiprop in 2006 and continued through Moses Kipsiro, Joshua Cheptegei and defending champion Jacob Kiplimo.

The Ugandan is not the first distance runner to produce a notable result after losing a spike. Kenya’s Conseslus Kipruto won the 2018 Diamond League steeplechase final after completing more than six laps in one shoe, while Moses Tanui finished second in the 1993 World Championship 10,000m after losing a spike when Haile Gebrselassie clipped his heel at the bell.

CHICAGO — In his first Big Ten media day as Penn State’s football coach, Matt Campbell touted every intangible that gave Iowa State the Big 12’s most conference wins from 2017 through 2025. Fit. Character. Toughness. Alignment. Campbell crafted those words into a powerful message that he endorsed and embodied in propelling the Cyclones to unprecedented heights.

Campbell’s team, rebranded through his use of black as a primary color, responded with 14 wins against ranked teams, including four against top-10 foes. Iowa State routinely hit the ceiling throughout Campbell’s 10-year tenure with eight of the program’s nine winning Big 12 seasons — ever.

Relocated in Happy Valley, Campbell, 46, traded in black for navy blue, and both the colors and words did more than wash: They blended. He’s wagering that the same traits that took Iowa State from bottom feeders to Big 12 title contenders will elevate the Nittany Lions from good to great. And he’s doing it with a roster composed of 24 Iowa State transfers — 40 total — alongside dozens of Penn State holdovers.

It’s not an easy task. There’s the potential for infighting or cliques if Campbell’s message doesn’t resonate. So, he was transparent with his former Cyclones, telling them “we aren’t at Iowa State anymore; we are at Penn State.” Campbell pushed all of the players to lean on one another and build camaraderie during every aspect of campus life from academics to nutrition to strength and conditioning, with his seniors leading the way.

“You had an influx of young men that came over from Iowa State. You had two seniors that came in from UCLA, and then you had some great seniors that chose to stay at Penn State,” Campbell said. “So we paired those guys up in leadership groups and allowed them to draft out the team and really start the accountabilities out there.

“‘Here’s how we’re going to ask you to do it and why, and then we’re going to hold you for a really high standard.’ … That was really big for us to be able to start to build player-driven leadership.”

At Iowa State, Campbell’s system developed leaders and became self-perpetuating in roughly three-year intervals, starting with players like David Montgomery and Allen Lazard early in his tenure to Brock Purdy and Breece Hall to new Nittany Lions Rocco Becht and Ben Brahmer. Along with dozens of glue players, those stars pushed the standard to new heights and maintained it.

It didn’t always work, which allowed Campbell to grow as a coach. After a No. 9 finish and a Fiesta Bowl victory in 2020, massive expectations weighed down the Cyclones. With nearly every major contributor returning, Iowa State began the 2021 season ranked in the top 10 but finished 7-6. The Cyclones followed with a 4-8 season in 2022. It forced Campbell to adapt and hone his system to stop the free fall. He looked inward. He fired assistant coaches, including those who were among his closest friends.

“Ego and entitlement can settle in really fast,” Campbell said. “I did a really poor job of leading our football program probably through our ’21 and ’22 season. I allowed some of those things to creep in, and I’m really fortunate to be able to have the opportunity to correct that.”

Campbell relied on Becht to ignite the turnaround in 2023, and the quarterback guided the Cyclones to a second appearance in the Big 12 Championship Game. Becht has started 40 games and became one of three Big 12 quarterbacks to go over 9,000 career passing yards. Becht joined Campbell at Penn State in part to build a cohesive culture based on the ideals shaped at Iowa State. To Becht, this building process is far different from what he experienced during Iowa State’s 4-8 campaign.

“We had a lot of ego, entitlement, selfish players, and we don’t have any of that now,” Becht said. “It’s completely different, just with building a team with players from all across the country are coming together as one, and that’s hard to do.”

Campbell takes over a program that was on the cusp of excellence but never achieved it under predecessor James Franklin. The Nittany Lions advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinals in 2024 and won double-digit games from 2022 to 2024 but failed in their biggest games. Franklin, who now coaches Virginia Tech, was 0-15 against top-six competition from 2017 onward. Campbell was 3-3 over the same stretch.

That success against high-level competition and the ability to mold Iowa State into winners with multiple iterations provides Campbell with confidence he can do the same at Penn State. He has a larger recruiting base, more access to elite talent and significantly more resources. He enjoyed relatively strong support from Iowa State’s fans, but Nittany Lions football generated nearly $147 million in fiscal year 2025; the Cyclones reported $53.1 million.

At every Power 4 program there’s pressure to perform, but Campbell recognizes the expectations are higher at Penn State than what he experienced at Iowa State. But what served him in Ames is what he relies on now. Winning is expected, but for Campbell, it’s rooted in the process.

“I’ve always believed in if we handle the values and standards and expectations internally, our player-driven leadership, staying committed to each other, not letting selfishness come in …,” Campbell said. “If we can do those things, then I always believe the scoreboard’s going to take care of itself.”

Campbell may have traded black (and cardinal) for navy, but his message resonates no matter what colored pullover he’s wearing.

“He’s been the same guy for the past five years since I’ve known him,” Becht said. “He comes in with an eagerness to just go to work and make the best team possible, but that starts with who you are as a person. That’s what he tries to create every single day.”