Spring Temperature Check: Who's Hot and Who's Cold in Red Sox Camp? (Feb 19-23)

As the Red Sox get established in spring training, at least as established as they can be with 14 guys headed to the World Baseball Classic next month, they are looking to assemble the best 26-man roster they can come Opening Day. As fans, we’re on the lookout for the next breakout candidate who shows that he’s ready to take the next step and be a big-league contributor, but this early in the process we need to remember to pump the breaks just a bit and remember that with so many guys about to miss potentially significant portions of camp to represent their countries, that we may not get a full picture of the team until right before spring training ends.

Thinking around those parameters, we’re going to take a twice-a-week look at spring training stats to see who is doing well and who isn’t.

There’s certainly going to be room for debate with many of the names on here, but try not to get too worked up about where guys may fall over the next four weeks or so. We’re just in spring training, and as we all know, the back half of those games often features guys who won’t even sniff the major league roster this season.

Who’s Hot? 🔥

Nate Eaton: The utility man, who is ramping up to represent Great Britain in the WBC, has been arguably the best hitter for the team so far in camp. Through the first three games in Grapefruit League play, he’s slashing .667/.667/1.000. Talk about MVP numbers. I kid, but he’s certainly making a case for himself to be the first guy off the bench come the regular season. Great Britain isn’t expected to make a deep WBC run, but Eaton could prove to be a valuable piece to that team, getting him live game reps on a much bigger stage than he would be getting with the Red Sox in camp. Those reps could translate to an even better spring than he’s currently having, solidifying him for a spot on the 26-man roster come Opening Day.

Connelly Early: Early may be the most recent starter to throw a game as of this writing, but he looked really good in that short outing. He tossed two scoreless innings with one walk and one strikeout without allowing a hit or a run. What has placed him on this part of the list, though, was that his four-seam fastball averaged 94.8 MPH, up almost a full tick from 2025. If Early can continue to show that kind of dominance with his fastball, he’s going to be pushing for that fifth starter spot quicker than most people assumed. He got a cup of coffee with the big-league club last season and was trusted enough to start game three of the Wild Card round, so he’s obviously on the short list for the rotation, but a continued strong showing this spring could cause some difficult decisions in Alex Cora’s office as Opening Day approaches.

Andruw Monasterio: Acquired as part of the trade package that brought Caleb Durbin to Boston, Monasterio is making a case for himself to be considered for the same bench role that Nate Eaton above is competing for. So far, Monasterio is slashing .500/.600/1.250 with two hits, including a home run, one walk, and no strikeouts. He’s been caught stealing once, but that shouldn’t worry anyone. He’s quick and will swipe bases at whatever level he begins the season at. Alex Cora had this to say about the newly acquired infielder, “…you see him here, it’s like, ‘Oh, shoot. He can move. He’s versatile. He can hit lefties.’” Being on Cora’s radar this early in camp is a great thing, and Monasterio said that those words gave him more energy to come to the field on a daily basis and make himself a better player. Monasterio is working with the team’s hitting coaches to improve his swing path and unlock a new level for him offensively. While he was a name that not many people may have known coming over from the Brewers, so far Monasterio looks like someone who can compete on a major league level this season if given the chance.

Who’s Not? 🧊

Brendan Rodgers: It pains me a bit to say this, but Rodgers hasn’t been good at all so far this spring training. He’s had four at-bats that have resulted in zeros across the board. He was brought in as a non-roster invitee to try and compete for the backup second base job, and brings the pedigree of a former Gold Glove winner with him, but so far he’s looked overmatched at the plate and more like someone who could either be cut loose at the end of camp or assigned to minor league camp to try and work on his mechanics as he comes back from a couple of injury plagued seasons previously. With Eaton and Monasterio already looking primed to leapfrog over Rodgers in the pecking order, he’s going to have to turn things around quickly to be able to prove he’s worth a spot on the team as it moves forward.

Brayan Bello: I know, it’s one start and 1 1/3 innings pitched, but Bello looked awful in that lone appearance. He faced nine batters, giving up four hits, four earned runs, two strikeouts, and one walk. The main reason not worry too much about Bello, though, is that he reintroduced his changeup to his arsenal this offseason and is working to get it moving like an actual changeup, around 87 or 88 mph, instead of behaving more like his sinker and sitting around 91 or 92 mph. He’s also added a curveball to his pitch mix that should help all of his off-speed offerings play a bit more. He was pulled during the first inning, and those four earned runs, but returned in the second thanks to some funky spring training rules that everyone forgets about, where he looked much more like his 2025 self. He’s one of the many guys headed to the WBC, where he hopes that the live game reps will help set him up for success for the season ahead.

These lists are designed to change from the beginning of the week to the end, but a trend to watch for is whether the names at the top continue to stick there throughout the entirety of camp. If that happens, we may get a bit of an early look at who will break camp with the big league club versus the names who remain on the bottom list, who could be on the outside looking in as we get closer and closer to Opening Day.