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Red Sox release statement after outcry over flawed jersey design
"The updated jerseys will be ready for Opening Day. We are grateful to our partners for their ongoing support.”
Red Sox fans were up in arms earlier this week when photos first started to emerge of Boston’s home white jerseys for the upcoming 2026 season.
As part of photos captured for the team’s Picture Day, fans online took note of what appeared to be some design flaws with the jerseys — with both the “RED” and “SOX” stitched on the front seemingly overlapping with the red striping down the middle of the uniform.
On Wednesday, the Red Sox released a statement about these now-maligned jerseys.
“As part of Major League Baseball’s return to the 2023 jersey template, we approved a design for our home white jerseys, which Fanatics produced exactly to our specs. Once they were produced and seen in person, we felt there should be more spacing between the lettering and piping,” the Red Sox said in the statement. “In collaboration with MLB and Fanatics, we’re adjusting the home whites to achieve this separation. The updated jerseys will be ready for Opening Day. We are grateful to our partners for their ongoing support.”
It’s worth noting that this was actually a revised statement from the team, with Boston’s initial graphic deleted by the team.
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The initial — now deleted — statement read:
“As part of Major League Baseball’s return to the 2023 jersey template, we approved a design for our home white jerseys that, once produced and seen in person, we felt could be cleaner in the spacing between the lettering and piping. In collaboration with MLB and Fanatics, we’re adjusting the home whites to achieve this separation. The updated jerseys will be ready for Opening Day.”
Less than an hour after the Red Sox released their revised statement, they followed up with a second post on X.
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“To be clear, the original design was selected by the Red Sox,” the team posted. “Fanatics executed to our specifications and has been an outstanding partner throughout. They deserve no blame and we are grateful to them for making the new jerseys in time for Opening Day.”
The Red Sox will first don their home white jerseys on April 3 for their home opener at Fenway Park against the San Diego Padres.
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