There’s nothing like a viral uniform controversy to spice up the month of February in Major League Baseball. <\/p>\n
On Tuesday, during Boston Red Sox media day, fans quickly noticed that the script on the team’s home white jerseys was touching the front piping. Side-by-sides made it clear that the piping had been widened since last season, and the lettering hadn’t been adjusted to match. <\/p>\n
Compared to last year (left), there\u2019s something off about the lettering on the Red Sox\u2019 home whites this year (right). pic.twitter.com\/1whb3Vlyj8<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Brendan Campbell (@brendan_camp) February 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Many were quick to accuse <\/a>Fanatics, the well-known sports merchandise giant responsible for producing the league’s uniforms, despite their Nike branding. But on Wednesday, the Red Sox set out to clear up who was actually to blame: themselves. <\/p>\n If you like our content,\u00a0choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google<\/a>.<\/p>\n Red Sox say they’re at fault for uniform mishap <\/p>\n A statement regarding our 2026 uniforms: pic.twitter.com\/x9VMZQlerJ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Red Sox (@RedSox) February 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n In a statement posted to X, the Red Sox said Fanatics had made the jerseys “exactly to our specs,” and said that after seeing how they looked after production, they would work in conjunction with the league and Fanatics to correct the spacing by opening day. <\/p>\n The league as a whole returned to the jersey template used until the end of the 2023 season, which was the fans’ preference, by and large. The jerseys used in 2024 and 2025 had the MLB logo below the collar stitching instead of above it, and in the former season, the letters were often comically small. <\/p>\n A good look at the jersey font and lettering.<\/p>\n LAST YEAR (2024) THIS YEAR (2025) pic.twitter.com\/D6L482PEGx<\/a><\/p>\n