Eight Boston Red Sox Spring Training Storylines To Watch
Here are the most important storylines to follow as the Red Sox ramp up for the start of the regular season.
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Following what was a tumultuous and active offseason, the first few weeks of Boston Red Sox spring training have been fairly uneventful.
Save for some controversial comments by team president Sam Kennedy regarding the recently departed Alex Bregman, the Red Sox have largely stayed out of the headlines thus far, a stark contrast from last year’s Rafael Devers saga.
This will only get quieter with 14 players soon to depart for the World Baseball Classic, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to watch this spring in Fort Myers.
From up-in-the-air position battles to key veterans returning from injury to young players looking to find their footing, here are eight storylines to pay attention to as the Red Sox ramp up for the start of the regular season.
1. Everything Kristian Campbell
It would be difficult to draw up a more tumultuous rookie season than Kristian Campbell had last year.
From the highs of winning April Rookie of the Month and receiving an eight-year contract extension to the lows of his .134/.184/.171 slash line in May and subsequent option to Triple-A, Campbell’s age-22 campaign created far more questions than answers
To his credit, Campbell has put in the work this offseason, most notably by playing in winter ball in Puerto Rico, where he showed off significant stance adjustments.
As difficult as Campbell’s 2025 season was on both sides of the ball, his overall ceiling remains unchanged. Not every player arrives in MLB ready to dominate like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Bobby Witt Jr., and plenty of eventual stars have struggled far worse than Campbell in their rookie seasons.
In retrospect, the Red Sox may have put too much on Campbell’s plate. The 12-month climb from High-A Greenville to batting cleanup for a team with championship aspirations was always going to have its growing pains, and the constant shuffling between second base, center field, and first base didn’t help matters.
Compared to last spring, when it became evident early that he would be the Opening Day second baseman, Campbell has arrived at camp with far less pressure. He has almost no chance of making the Opening Day roster without a significant injury to a starter, as it would make little sense to put him in a platoon or bench role.
Therefore, this spring is all about reps, and he will get plenty of them with so many of the Red Sox starters participating in the World Baseball Classic. Far more important than his statistical performance is his overall comfort level in both the field and at the plate.
Is he taking good routes in the outfield? Is he controlling the strike zone and pulling the ball with authority? Above all else, does he look like he belongs on a major-league field and that he’s having fun?
That last point may seem cheesy, but Campbell’s body language at the end of his MLB stint was reflective of a player who was simply overmatched at the big league level. Carrying himself like a guy who belongs in the big leagues will be a welcome sign that he is ready to turn the page on last season.
2. The Outfield Configuration
For as many areas as the Red Sox addressed this winter, one situation that remains unresolved is the outfield configuration.
Despite persistent rumors about trading Jarren Duran, the Red Sox kept all four of their starting outfielders headed into spring training. And while some playing time has been cleared by the departure of platoon-specialist Rob Refsnyder, many of those at-bats will be given to Wilyer Abreu as he prepares to face more lefties.
In an ideal world, the Red Sox would likely utilize the DH position to have all four outfielders in the lineup at once, but the continued presence of Masataka Yoshida makes that task far more difficult.
Although MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported that the Red Sox are still in discussions to find a trade partner to take on the remaining two years and $38 million of Yoshida’s contract, his limited profile has thus far made those efforts unsuccessful.
If the Red Sox do have all four outfielders and Yoshida on the Opening Day roster, it will be fascinating to see how Cora manages the revolving door.
Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu are arguably the Red Sox’s two most important hitters, while Ceddane Rafaela has a strong case as the game’s best defensive center fielder.
If those three players are manning left, center and right field respectively, it puts Duran and Yoshida in a precarious situation. Duran will presumably get a lot of playing time at DH, but how often will he enter the mix in left field, a spot where he was worth -4 Outs Above Average last season, and center field, where he was +7 Outs Above Average in 2024?
For Yoshida, meanwhile, the picture is even messier. His outfield defense isn’t nearly at the same level as the other four players, and his one-dimensional profile makes him a poor candidate for a bench role.
If Yoshida is going to make an impact on the major league roster, it’s going to be as the starting DH, which would mean sitting one of the four outfielders on a daily basis.
Not only do the Red Sox have five players for four spots, but Nate Eaton made a strong case for a fourth outfielder role with a strong September finish last season, and the aforementioned Campbell has been taking most of his reps in the outfield this spring.
Unfortunately, it will take a couple of weeks to get any hints on Cora’s outfield plans, as Yoshida recently departed to get ready to play for Team Japan in the WBC, a run that will, in all likelihood, continue into mid-March.
Each of the four outfielders will soon follow, with Abreu representing Team Venezuela, Duran representing Team Mexico, Rafaela representing Team Netherlands, and Anthony being a late entrant on Team USA.
The strength of each of those teams means that we won’t get a full outfield picture until the last week of spring games, but it will be worth keeping a close eye on how Cora cycles the players in once they get back from WBC action.
3. The Search for Romy Gonzalez’s Replacement
The Red Sox have not been nearly as injury-ravaged as the Toronto Blue Jays or the Atlanta Braves, but one major player to watch is infielder Romy Gonzalez.
The infielder is reportedly still dealing with the effects of a shoulder injury suffered during the last weekend of the season and had to receive a PRP injection before arriving at spring training.
Given that he is being shut down from baseball activities aside from playing catch, it appears doubtful that Gonzalez will be able to ramp up in time to be ready for the March 27 opener.
Since being claimed off waivers from the Chicago White Sox before the 2024 season, Gonzalez has emerged as an integral part of the Red Sox offense due to his ability to mash lefties.
The 29-year-old slashed .331/.378/.600 against southpaws last season, which, along with competent defense at three infield positions, made him a two-win player in just 96 games played.
Even if Gonzalez only misses a few weeks, his absence will have a major impact on the Red Sox’s lineup. His success against left-handed pitching made for a clean platoon with Marcelo Mayer, who slashed just .154/.185/.231 against same-side hurlers in his brief MLB debut last season.
Though nobody in the Red Sox organization can hit lefties like Gonzalez, there are a few candidates who can serve as an adequate platoon partner in his absence.
Speedster Nate Eaton proved he could be a valuable piece on a major league roster last September, slashing .370/.420/.478 and capably handling third base and all three outfield positions.
Though he is best utilized in a reserve outfield role, his career .256/.310/.356 line against lefties (compared to .220/.283/.293 against righties) indicates he could be an acceptable platoon partner with Mayer at third base for a few weeks.
Like Eaton, the switch-hitting Nick Sogard emerged as a consummate glue guy last season, filling in admirably at all four infield positions and working one tough at-bat after another.
Sogard is the kind of guy you are never mad to see penciled into a lineup, but his lack of juice (86 mph average exit velocity) and prowess against left-handed pitching (.097 ISO as a right-handed hitter in Triple-A) make him a strange fit as a Gonzalez replacement.
Recent acquisition Andruw Monasterio may have the most experience in the Gonzalez role, having served as the Brewers’ primary righty off the bench over the second half of the season and seeing time at second base, shortstop and third base.
While Monasterio won’t match Gonzalez’s top-end exit velocities, his 26.4% chase rate and 23.7% strikeout rate show he has a solid idea of what he’s doing at the plate, and he excelled against lefties at both the minor league (.318/.430/.500) and major league (.273/.360/.477) levels in 2025.
Though most of his MLB success has been against left-handed pitchers, he got his spring off on the right foot last Saturday with a home run against right-hander Justin Topa.
Monasterio’s defense is another point in his favor, as he played league-average-or-better defense at all four infield positions.
Surprisingly, his most significant role last year came filling in for the ineffective and injured Joey Ortiz at shortstop, a position Eaton has never played at the major league level, and where Sogard saw just five innings at for the Red Sox in 2025.
Perhaps the most fascinating option is non-roster invitee Brendan Rodgers, who is just four years removed from a 4.3 bWAR, Gold Glove season with the Colorado Rockies.
His swing-and-miss issues will likely prevent him from ever being an everyday player again, but he can still pick it at second base and is a career .295/.356/.481 hitter against left-handed pitching.
Unlike many of the other position battles that will take place in Fort Myers this spring, there is no leading candidate for the role, meaning that whoever gets the last spot on the bench will be the player who has the most impressive spring.
4. Who Will Be the Second Lefty in the Bullpen?
Compared to many other teams in MLB, the Red Sox’s bullpen picture is pretty much complete.
Aroldis Chapman has the closer spot locked down after an incredible debut season in Boston in which he led all relievers with a 3.5 bWAR and a 1.17 ERA.
Garrett Whitlock will be his primary set-up man after allowing just one run over his final 30 innings in 2025, while Justin Slaten was the Red Sox’s most trusted reliever as a rookie in 2024 before injuries stymied his sophomore campaign.
Ryan Watson will look to follow in Whitlock and Slaten’s footsteps as another Red Sox Rule 5 success story and should have the inside track to an MLB relief role with a solid spring training.
Both Greg Weissert and Zack Kelly have proven to be capable middle relievers over the last two seasons, giving the Red Sox overall above-average production despite occasional lapses in command.
And while former NPB standout Kyle Keller is a name to watch this spring, Kutter Crawford appears to be a decent bet for a bullpen spot if he is unable to crack the rotation.
The one spot that appears completely up-for-grabs is the second lefty role. With Steven Matz and Justin Wilson leaving in free agency and Brennan Bernardino being traded to the Rockies, the Red Sox have lost 120.4 dependable left-handed innings from last season without any external additions.
The leader in the clubhouse to fill those innings is Jovani Moran, a standout in the Twins bullpen in 2022 before undergoing Tommy John surgery.
The 29-year-old only made two unimpressive appearances in MLB last season but posted a dominant 40-to-5 strikeout-to-walk in Triple-A Worcester and turned heads with an excellent winter league performance.
As intriguing as some of Moran’s underlying metrics are, headlined by a changeup that grades out exceptionally well, his health and history of control issues at the major league level should give the Red Sox pause before penciling him into their Opening Day bullpen.
There’s a reason why the Red Sox have been consistently linked to left-handed relievers all winter, and there are still some interesting candidates on the market even as Spring Training begins.
Danny Coulombe allowed just two extra-base hits to fellow left-handers last season in 78 plate appearances and hasn’t posted an ERA above 3.00 since 2021, while Joey Lucchesi adjusted well in his first season as a full-time reliever and generated groundballs at a 54.2% clip.
And while there have been reports that he is considering retirement, Wilson is still technically a reunion candidate after posting a 2.95 FIP and 10.9 K/9 in his first season in Boston.
If there is an in-house candidate who could potentially challenge Moran, it’s the recently acquired Tyler Samaniego. The secondary piece in the Johan Oviedo deal, the 27-year-old Samaniego, posted a 30-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 26.1 Double-A innings last year.
As a 6-foot-4 left-hander who can touch 98 mph with above-average extension, Samaniego is exactly the kind of arm that Breslow and his staff have fallen in love with, and it is feasible that he could skip Triple-A if he takes quickly to the pitching program.
The wild card in the race is the returning Patrick Sandoval. The lanky lefty would be a prime bullpen candidate if he is unable to make the Opening Day rotation, especially considering his career .195/.274/.324 line against left-handed hitters.
5. The Battle for the Fifth Rotation Spot
An offseason spent overhauling the starting pitching corps has resulted in an MLB rotation that appears nearly set in stone.
Garrett Crochet was already colorfully declared the Opening Day starter, while veteran additions Sonny Gray and Ranger Suárez will likely get the ball in the second and third contests in Cincinnati. And while Brayan Bello was the subject of trade rumors this winter, he will enter the season an overqualified fourth starter.
Health permitting, those four pitchers will start the first four games of the season. The last rotation spot, however, is where things get interesting.
Five pitchers have arguments to get the ball in the season’s fifth game, and MassLive’s Chris Cotillo reported that each hurler is under legitimate consideration for the role: Johan Oviedo, Connelly Early, Kutter Crawford, Payton Tolle, and Patrick Sandoval.
You can read more about the case for and against each of them here.
6. The Health of Triston Casas
The enigma that is Triston Casas is officially at a crossroads in 2026. After looking like the next great left-handed Red Sox slugger during a .299/.397/.557 romp over the final four months of 2023, Casas has been limited to just 92 games over the last two seasons, thanks to an intercostal strain and a ruptured patella tendon.
When he has been able to take the field, Casas hasn’t been productive enough at the plate to make up for his woeful defense and baserunning. Though his early May injury prevented any chance of a turnaround in 2025, Casas’ .182/.277/.303 line certainly raised eyebrows about his long-term offensive production.
Even the most passionate of Casas defenders couldn’t have blamed Breslow for acquiring Willson Contreras, a move that, along with the continued presence of Masataka Yoshida, leaves Casas without a clear pathway to the Opening Day roster.
Yet just because Casas is seemingly Triple-A bound to start the season, he isn’t necessarily out of the picture for 2026.
His offensive ceiling is still higher than any player on the current roster besides Anthony and possibly Campbell, and all the questions about the Red Sox’s lack of power would be alleviated if Casas hits like he did in 2023.
Therefore, it’s worth keeping a close eye on Casas’ rehab progression this spring, and the early results have been mixed. MassLive’s Lauren Campbell reported that Casas is not participating in team running drills, but Cora said that he is farther along than he expected.
Either way, Casas does not appear close to game action and would be an extreme long shot to be ready for Opening Day, even if he had a defined role on the big league team.
The safe bet is that the Red Sox slow-play his rehab in Worcester and wait for a spot to open up for him at the major league level, whether due to injury or underperformance.
At some point, however, Casas will have the chance to contribute to the Red Sox, and his performance this spring will give the first clues to how soon and how significant that opportunity will be.
7. Who’s on Second (and Third)?
The Red Sox entered the offseason with questions at each of the four infield positions, and while Trevor Story’s early opt-in to the last two years of his contract and the trade for Willson Contreras gave them clear answers at shortstop and first base, the third base and second base roles are still very much unsettled.
Recent acquisition Caleb Durbin is a lock for one of the spots, though it is unclear which one it will be. Despite playing third base very well as a rookie for the Brewers last season, Durbin’s size and lack of arm strength indicate that he may be a better fit at second base.
Like Durbin, Marcelo Mayer played both second and third last season, filling in admirably at third base when Alex Bregman went down and recording +1 OAA after shifting over to second upon Bregman’s return.
While The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey reported that the Red Sox prefer Mayer at third base, his hands, smooth actions, and range would play at any spot in the infield.
Thus far, the Red Sox have done most of their infield work with Durbin at third base and Mayer at second, though that may be partly to help Durbin rebuild his arm strength as he recovers from offseason elbow surgery.
Whether Durbin plays second or third may also depend on Mayer’s platoon partner. Both Romy Gonzalez and Nick Sogard are better suited for second base, while Nate Eaton has only played third base at the major league level. Andruw Monasterio has the capability to handle both positions, but he started at third in three of his first four spring contests.
Mayer has been slightly behind the other position players and didn’t make his spring debut until Friday, but with both he and Durbin staying in Florida during the WBC, we should start to get some answers sooner rather than later.
8. What Are the Vibes Like?
This is going to be an odd spring training for the Red Sox in more ways than one. Eight players on their projected 26-man roster (per FanGraphs’ RosterResource) were acquired in the offseason, a massive turnover rate that included the departures of clubhouse leaders Bregman and Refsnyder.
Adding to the assimilation difficulties will be the upcoming World Baseball Classic. The Red Sox will send 14 players to the tournament, the second-most of any American League team, including all four of their outfielders and both Suárez and Contreras.
All told, the Red Sox will not have much time with their full 26-man roster before they head to Cincinnati for Opening Day, making the time they do have together critical for developing chemistry.
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Written by
Daniel Fox is a contributing writer for Just Baseball. He has previously written for Pitcher List, BoSoxInjection, and in the Cape Cod Baseball League. He is…