​CHICAGO — It hasn’t been just the hits that have begun to accumulate for Caleb Durbin; the home runs have followed suit. On Thursday, he launched a two-run homer in the fourth inning that proved decisive for the Red Sox in their 2-1 win over the White Sox, a victory that completed the series sweep and extended Boston’s winning streak to six games. The blast marked Durbin’s ninth long ball of the season, a number that might not shock many, yet when juxtaposed with his lone homer through the end of May, it underscores a notable surge in his slugging over the past five weeks.
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Durbin framed the season through the lens of consistency, emphasizing that his ceiling remains higher than what he’s shown either this year or in the past. “It’s a game of consistency,” Durbin said. “I’m capable of a lot more than I showed last year or showed in the past. I’m not close to my potential as far as those (power) numbers go. I’m just trying to stack good at-bats.”
Earlier in the year, Durbin overhauled his swing to help lift his production, shifting his focus toward improving bat speed and overall approach. “That’s an area where I could get better just as far as having a better approach and trying to do damage,” he explained. “That’s been the case. It’s been good, the process has been good and it’s good to see the results starting to turn.”
Durbin’s path to this point isn’t merely a tale of a single hot stretch. In his rookie season a year ago with Milwaukee, he hit 11 homers. With nine already on the books this season, he’s very much on track to surpass last year’s total—quite possibly before July.
“I’m not going to put a number on (my home run potential),” Durbin said, signaling a preference to let the results speak for themselves. “Just because talk is cheap. You’ve got to go out and do it. I don’t think 20 is out of the question. But as I said, it’s a game of consistency. I was super inconsistent the first couple of months and I was really consistent (starting) last month up until now. So you try to keep that going throughout the course of the season.”
As Durbin continues to refine his approach and harness the power in his bat, the Red Sox will look for him to keep driving in runs and anchoring their lineup. The combination of steady adjustments at the plate and timely power deliveries has become a hallmark of Durbin’s season so far, turning earlier doubts into a more confident and productive stretch that fans are starting to notice.