AL East

The Boston Red Sox have been one of the worst teams in baseball in 2014, and their offensive ineptitude is a big part of the reason why.

When an early morning team meeting is needed just before facing a team 20 games under .500 in your own house, it might be time to start choosing pallbearers.

The New York Yankees won Thursday, a fine shutout against the Houston Astros, but let’s be real here: When this is the win a team hopes turns around a lackluster season, it’s just going to keep going in the same direction.

A smart string of September call-ups can often be the difference between a playoff berth and a phone call to the local golf course.

When MLB rosters expand to 40 on September 1, expect some of the game's top youngsters to get the call to the majors. The New York Yankees will certainly make some additions, but who will be brought up to help the team's run at the American League Wild Card?

With MLB rosters set to expand in September, this is a chance for most teams to bolster their major league depth by calling up some of their top prospects from the minors.

The Baltimore Orioles (71-52) are soaring high as of late and have been on a roll in August, acquiring a record of 11-5 so far this month.

As the calendar turns, MLB rosters will expand, allowing teams to add on some depth at crucial positions and enabling for some of their star players to take a few more days off than usual.

With their playoff hopes dashed long ago, the Boston Red Sox are left to evaluate the players on their roster with an eye toward 2015 for the rest of the season.

That’s a task that will become easier in September, when MLB rosters expand and the Sox are afforded the chance to view more players in a major league setting and to get their ever-increasing pool of young players some experience in the big leagues.

With Friday's 5-0 win over the New York Yankees, the Tampa Bay Rays became just the fourth team in major league history to reach .500 after sitting 18 games under at any point during the season, per Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times.

The Boston Red Sox have started the proverbial "turning of the page," as the team looks forward to its chances in the 2015 MLB season.

Boasting one of the deepest and most promising farm systems in all of baseball, the Red Sox can look forward to a bright future. It's made up largely of home-grown talent developed in recent years thanks to the excellent coaching staffs within Boston's minor league affiliates.

Yoenis Cespedes has wasted no time making his presence felt as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

The 2014 season has not gone according to plan for the Boston Red Sox.

Coming off a World Series championship in 2013, many expected the Sox to be right back in the thick of things again this year.

Those dreams came to an end sometime in mid-July, and Boston's inability to compete culminated in a fire sale at the trading deadline.

Now, with a 52-65 record heading into play on August 12, all that’s left is for Boston to evaluate its current roster with an eye toward 2015 and beyond.