Alex Mayes

That's my concern too. I really like Slaten and think he could be in the mix for the closer role once Chapman is gone, but the injuries piling up is concerning.

The Boston Red Sox are in a tailspin at the moment. That’s not news to anyone who has even been sort of paying attention, but they are drastically underperforming for a team that a lot of national pundits had competing for the AL East title. While there are aspects of the starting lineup that are finally beginning to wake up — plus Wilyer Abreu, who has been carrying this team on his back since Opening Day — what’s clear is that something has to give for the Red Sox. While Alex Cora has started tinkering with his lineup card already, it could be time for some promotions and demotions to shake things up in the dugout. The backup infield situation is a bit of a mess in Boston right now. Andruw Monasterio had a great spring but has struggled to get looks during the season and most of his at-bats look noncompetitive. He has a paltry .125 batting average in eight plate appearances and looks like he needs more consistent at bats to get his offense figured out for the season. Isiah Kiner-Falefa has been even worse. He’s also received a whopping eight plate appearances this season, and a -58 wRC+ is all he has to show for it. The team committed $6 million to the veteran journeyman during the offseason and it looks now like that could be wasted money. So, where do the Red Sox go from here? Monasterio isn’t going to get regular at-bats in the majors playing behind Marcelo Mayer, Trevor Story, and Caleb Durbin. Kiner-Falefa offers some defensive upside but his incredibly limited offensive profile puts a very tight cap on his ability to meaningfully contribute this season. The best option in front of Craig Breslow and Cora is to shuffle the roster (perhaps by optioning Monasterio to Worcester) while calling up at least one of Mickey Gasper or Nick Sogard. The duo of Gasper and Sogard have been on absolute heaters for the WooSox since the season got underway. Gasper is slashing .400/.514/.767 with a 227 wRC+; Sogard is coming in at .290/.488/.645 with a 192 wRC+. Sogard has logged all nine games of the season while Gapser has appeared in seven. Both have slugged three home runs so far and Gasper already has 10 RBIs while Sogard has drive in eight. The scale tips a bit in Sogard’s direction when you look at his strikeouts and walks. He’s walked an impressive 12 times against six strikeouts; Gasper is nearly dead even at seven walks and eight punch outs. Both Gasper and Sogard have major-league experience with the Red Sox so they understand, at least to a point, what the pressure cooker of playing professional baseball in Boston is like. Sogard seems to have tapped into a power stroke early in the season, and that’s exactly what the Red Sox could use off the bench right now. He's also a switch-hitter, so he works well in any platoon role that Cora has a need for. Defensively, he’s more of a lateral move from Kiner-Falefa than a downgrade and, in a pinch, he could be trusted to start over a guy like Caleb Durbin should Cora decide that a few days off could help fix whatever is plaguing the team's starting third baseman. Gasper’s numbers look impressive, and should be applauded, but it’s fair to question if they would translate if/when he is called up. For his MLB career he’s slashing .133/.250/.455. Those are far from inspiring, but if he currently has caught lightning in a bottle then maybe a look on the big-league roster could help push this team towards being competitive right now. Is he a long-term fix for the club? Doubtful, but Cora and company should be trying anything and everything to put a winning product on the field day in and day out. Moving Monasterio (and maybe even Kiner-Falefa) for Sogard and Gasper doesn’t solve the pitching woes that are currently plaguing the Red Sox, but a fresh injection of talent that has been performing well in Triple-A could help push a few more runs across the board. The season is far from lost, but the time for resting on our laurels is over. Maybe bringing up two guys tearing it up for the WooSox is exactly what this team needs right now. View full article

The Boston Red Sox have placed reliever Justin Slaten on the 15-day injured list with a right oblique strain. To replace him in the bullpen, the team has called up LHP Tyler Samaniego before the series finale with the Brewers. Alex Cora revealed in his media availability after the 3-2 win on Tuesday that Slaten was dealing with soreness on his right side but hesitated to call it an oblique injury at the time. Now, we have conformation that Slaten will be missing time while he heals up. While Slaten has been useful out of the pen, his injury history isn't exactly brief, so it's disheartening to see him go down again so early in the year. Samaniego has appeared in three games for the WooSox, posting a 3.38 ERA with three strikeouts and a 1.31 WHIP over 5 1/3 innings. He was impressive in spring training after he fully recovered from some initial back issues. His fastball tops out at 97 mph but he lacks a solid secondary pitch at the moment. With some development, he could be an incredibly useful arm out of the bullpen down the stretch. Expect to see him serve as an up-and-down reliever for the entirety of the season. Justin Slaten landing on the IL again is not great news for a team already pushing their bullpen to the maximum this early in the season, but Samaniego has the opportunity to show that his strong spring was more than just a fluke once he arrives in Boston. View full rumor

Boston Red Sox Weekly Snapshot Record Last Week: 1-6 Runs Scored Last Week: 22 Runs Surrendered Last Week: 39 Standings: 5th in AL East 5.5 GB of 1st Place Transactions: 3/31/26: RHP Angel Bastardo returned to Red Sox from Blue Jays. 4/03/26: Red Sox recall RHP Zack Kelly from Worcester Red Sox. 4/03/26: Red Sox recalled RHP Tyler Uberstine from Worcester Red Sox. 4/03/26: Red Sox placed RHP Johan Oviedo on 15-day injured list retroactive to March 31. Right elbow strain. 4/04/26: Red Sox place RHP Garrett Whitlock on the paternity list. 4/04/26: RHP Jedixon Paez returned to Red Sox from White Sox. Scores: Game 3 (3/29): BOS 2, CIN 3 Game 4 (3/30): BOS 1, HOU 8 Game 5 (3/31): BOS 2, HOU 9 Game 6 (4/01): BOS 4, HOU 6 Game 7 (4/03): BOS 5, SD 2 Game 8 (4/04): BOS 2, SD 3 Game 9 (4/05): BOS 6, SD 8 TL;DR Breakdown/Highlights Astros Series: Very little went right in the series in Houston. The team looked lost offensively for the first two games and struggled on defense as well. Ranger Suarez made his Red Sox debut and gave up four earned runs in 4 ⅓ innings pitched, walking one and striking out three. What was maybe the most disheartening part of the entire series was watching Lance McCullers Jr. turn the clock back and strikeout the Sox nine times in a nearly flawless performance. RHP Brayan Bello failed to look sharp in his debut against the Astros as well, and the highlight of his start was when he walked a hitter he previously struck out in the same at-bat (no one on the field remembered what the count was). On top of everything else, catcher Carlos Narvaez was benched in the finale of the series for reasons that both he and Alex Cora are keeping close to the vest. Padres Series: Game one of the Padres series, and the home opener for the Sox, showed that this team could hang with other professional baseball teams. Game two wasted a gutsy performance by Connelly Early who didn’t have his best stuff early on but settled throughout the game. Game three was the heartbreaker, though. Through the first three innings of the game, Suarez looked like the pitcher the Red Sox splurged $130 million on. The offense seemed to be firing on all cylinders, and a multi-run inning was finally happening to fire up Red Sox fans everywhere. Then, in the fourth, the Suarez from the Astros series showed back up. He lacked control and the Padres took advantage. In the fifth, Greg Weissert entered the game and promptly gave up the lead on a Manny Machado home run. The Red Sox rallied in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game, but the top of the eighth put all forward momentum to a stop when Uberstine was left in for a third inning in his MLB debut. The team was playing with a short bullpen with Whitlock, Aroldis Chapman, and Justin Slaten all unavailable for the conclusion of the series, but Zack Kelly was warm in the pen. At Wilyer Abreu has been red hot and looks to be the offensive leader of this team. Website Highlights Red Sox Fans Divulge Hopes & Concerns About Team As Boston Takes Home Opener by Nick John Red Sox’s Roster Manipulation Puts Spotlight Squarely on the Reserves by Ryan Painter Sonny Gray’s Red Sox Debut Was Loaded with Miscues, But His Future in Boston Should be Better by Alex Mayes Looking Ahead April 6th: Brewers (Woodruff) @ Red Sox (Bello): 6:45 PM EDT April 7th: Brewers (Misiorowski) @ Red Sox (Crochet): 6:45 PM EDT April 8th: Brewers (Patrick) @ Red Sox (Gray): 1:35 PM EDT April 10th: Red Sox @ Cardinals: 8:15 PM EDT April 11th: Red Sox @ Cardinals: 7:15 PM EDT April 12th: Red Sox @ Cardinals: 2:15 PM EDT View full article

Wilyer Abreu came into the 2026 season looking to prove more than one thing to his coaches, the front office, and the fans. It’s been a small sample size so far, but he’s more than answered the call. Abreu has had the training wheels taken off and he’s now seeing every day at-bats, including against left-handed pitchers. With ample opportunities for playing time, Abreu is making an incredibly strong case to be the heart and soul of the 2026 Boston Red Sox. Just from the eye test alone, Abreu has been the offensive standout so far this season. He’s currently slashing .387/.406/.774 with a .512 wOBA and a 230 wRC+. He’s knocked three homers and six RBIs so far over eight games. As the number five hitter on a team with a fairly tepid offense thus far, he has been the one name that inspires confidence when he steps in the box in any situation. He looks calm and collected, something that evaded him at times last year when it was most needed. So far in 2026, he’s notched at least one hit in seven of eight contests. Most notably though, Abreu has shortened his swing against left-handed pitchers this season. That has allowed him to get the head of the bat to the ball in a quicker motion. This change in swing mechanics has given him more confidence at the plate, and it’s paying dividends for him as the team looks to turn their season around. His Baseball Savant page is bright red; he ranks in the 91st percentile of barrel percentage and that’s obvious if you’ve been listening when he makes contact. All of his expected stats also back up the actual data, which suggests this breakout isn't just smoke and mirrors. As long as he keeps his new mechanics, Abreu is going to be representing the Red Sox at the Midsummer Classic in July. Anyone who has been paying attention to the Red Sox since Abreu made his debut with the team has known that a breakout season was coming sooner than later. We saw glimpses of it in 2025, but he battled injuries that kept him off the field for portions of that season. On top of that, he was working in a strict platoon role with Rob Refsnyder, hindering his ability to get his feet under him against southpaws on a regular basis. Now, though, it feels like we’re finally seeing the best version of Wilyer Abreu. He’s confident on both sides of the baseball and proved during the World Baseball Classic that there’s not a moment too big for him. As the Red Sox, hopefully, rebound from their slow start, Abreu will need to continue being a leader for this offense. His presence in the middle of the lineup has been one of few things keeping this team (barely) afloat in 2026. View full article

Sonny Gray’s first start of the 2026 season arguably looks worse on paper than it did if you were tuned into the game. He struggled, but there were flashes that showed his ceiling is still high enough to be considered a number two or three option for the Boston Red Sox. He tossed four innings posting a 6.75 ERA, six hits, one home run, one walk, five strikes, and a 1.75 WHIP. It was a shorter outing than anyone would have liked, and the first inning was an absolute slog to watch, but he settled down through the rest of the game. Much like Garrett Crochet’s start prior to Gray’s, there was a lot of interest in his pitch mix after he came out of the game. In typical Gray fashion, he showed seven different pitches against the Reds. He relied heavily on his sinker, throwing it 31% of the time, followed by his curveball at 19%, sweeper at 15%, four-seam fastball and cutter at 14% each, changeup at 6%, and finally a slider at 1% usage. Going back to 2024, Gray was a four-seam dominant pitcher who worked in a sinker and cutter as secondary options. The Cardinals had him start using his four-seam less and less in 2025 because it was getting hit fairly hard (as his velocity waned with age), and that seemed to be a recipe for success. The plan in Boston seems to be much of the same, as he’s now featuring his sinker as his primary pitch and relying on his elite level sweeper to be his out-pitch. Looking at the heat maps, it's clear that Gray has a specific plan of attack in mind for each of his offerings. The issue in this first start was simple: In the first inning, Gray wasn’t locating anything for strikes and it burned him. In the first inning, he threw 35 pitches with only 19 of them going for strikes. While the Reds aren’t world-beaters by any means, any team worth their salt will take advantage of a pitcher who digs a hole that deep for himself early in the game. It doesn’t matter if your sweeper is elite; when nothing else is filling up the zone, the opposition has no reason to swing at anything offered. Defensive miscues, including one from Gray himself when he tried to tag a runner at home with the ball but promptly dropped it, didn’t help his cause either. Once Gray settled in the second inning, he landed 32 strikes out of his final 45 pitches. That’s the Gray we expected when Craig Breslow traded for him. Now, Gray gets the home opener on April 3, against a Padres team that packs a bit of a punch. He’s going to try and quell the rapidly growing sound of the fanbase who is unhappy with the sluggish start to the season with, hopefully, a dominant performance for the home crowd. That’s a lot to ask of someone who just joined the organization in December, but Gray is a proven veteran with amply experience leading a rotation. If he keeps relying on his sinker and sweeper, he has the potential to be a solid anchor for this rotation. The Red Sox need a boost in the worst way as they enter the home opener on Friday, sitting at just 1-5. The team has looked largely anemic in every facet of the game. Having Sonny Gray come out at Fenway Park and shut down a star-driven Padres lineup would go a long way towards showing just what this team is capable of in 2026. View full article

The Boston Red Sox acquired Johan Oviedo during the offseason with the hopes that he could be a prominent option in the starting rotation. There's always been a bit of a question mark surrounding Oviedo due to his prior health issues, but the ceiling is sky high, at least if he can throw more strikes. Pitching coach Andrew Bailey worked with Oviedo throughout spring training to get him to focus less on trying to paint corners are more on just filling up the strike zone because, as Bailey put it, when Oviedo threw strikes, hitters struggle to make contact. At the beginning of camp, it seemed like something clicked, but as the spring continued, a dip in velocity and a rise in solid contact began to rear their heads simultaneously. Oviedo’s last spring training performance was enough of a red flag that Alex Cora opted to have rookie Connelly Early join the rotation and shift Oviedo into a long reliever role to begin the season. In his last spring training outing, Oviedo threw 84 pitches, only 48 of which went for strikes, giving up six hits, one home run, six earned runs, three strike outs, two walks, and one hit by pitch over 3 1/3 innings. He spoke to reporters after the game and admitted that he was testing out a new cutter during the outing, but adding a new pitch so late into the spring is a questionable decision for any pitcher, especially one who knows he’s actively competing for a spot in the Opening Day rotation. Things have gone pretty poorly to start the season for the Red Sox, especially considering the high we were all riding after Opening Day. During the first game against the Astros though, Oviedo was tasked with coming into a difficult situation when he entered the game in the fifth inning; he entered a losing game and proceeded to give up four additional runs over 3 2/3 innings. What continued from spring though, was that his velocity was significantly down. Every pitch, except his curveball, was down close to two and a half miles per hour from his average. After that outing, Oviedo again spoke to the media and seemed to have just as many questions as the rest of us. He said he’s surprised that his velocity is down and that everything is coming out slower than when he returned from Tommy John surgery. He speculated that it may be a mechanical issue, but at this point, he doesn’t have a real answer as to why he is struggling so bad. Whatever the issue is, having him fill up the strike zone with pitches coming in far slower than expectation is a recipe for disaster. If we look at his heat map from that Houston game, we can see that he’s not missing the zone much. His bright red spots are mostly strikes, but they are strikes that lived in the heart of the plate. Against someone like Yordan Alvarez, that’s not going to cut it. While there was speculation that Rule 5 acquisition Ryan Watson likely had the shortest leash among the relief corps, it seems more likely that Oviedo should be the one looking over his shoulder as Tommy Kahnle ramps up to get work in with Worcester and then, eventually, the Red Sox. If we look past Kahnle, both Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval are pitching multiple innings in simulated games at Fort Myers, working four innings each. They are closer to returning than not. and both deserve looks in the bullpen (if not the rotation) once they are ready. Oviedo has one minor-league option remaining; once any of the above three pitchers are ready to make their season debut, he’s likely heading to Worcester where he can work on recapturing his best stuff without nearly as much pressure. One bad outing does not make a slump, nor does it mean Oviedo has lost any of the potential that made him such a tantalizing trade candidate. However, the early returns leave a lot to be desired. Andrew Bailey has done well with most of the pitchers the Red Sox have brought in during his tenure, but not every project receives an A. There's still plenty of time in the season for the former Pirate to get his mind (and arm) right, but the Red Sox shouldn't be afraid to keep the leash short with so many alternatives knocking at the door. View full article

Aroldis Chapman closed out Opening Day’s victory in typical Chapman fashion. He carried himself with the confidence and swagger you want from the man tasked with shutting the door on the opposition night after night. He tossed 11 pitches to claim his first save of the season, but something felt different about this outing. Even if you weren’t watching the radar gun on the (now much larger) NESN score bug, the southpaw's fastball looked like it lacked the zip we’re accustomed to. We were spoiled last year when he would reach back and sling it over 100 mph, but he still averaged an impressive 98.4 mph in 2025. That was more than five miles per hour faster than the average for left-handed pitchers last season. His so far lone outing in 2026 saw him average out at 97.3 mph. That’s still ridiculously fast, no question about it, but the pitch lacked the movement and control he brought to the table last year. Could this just be early season rust he’s shaking off, or is his age finally starting to catch up to him? If we look back at Chapman’s spring training stats, it starts to paint a clearer picture. He appeared in seven games posting a 5.40 ERA over 6.2 innings, allowing four earned runs, one home run, three walks, and 10 strikeouts. While spring training stats need to be taken with a giant grain of salt, especially when Chapman was clearly only throwing his off-speed pitches at the end of the Grapefruit League season, it’s hard to ignore what seems to be some form of regression over a (very) small sample size. Chapman’s pitch mix on Opening Day was something else that peaked my curiosity. In 2025, Chapman features his four-seam fastball as his primary pitch, throwing it 40% of the time. His second-most-used pitch was his sinker, clocking in at a 34% usage rate, followed by his slider and splitter at 15% and 11%, respectively. During his first save of 2026, though, things were different. His four-seam fastball was still his primary pitch at 55% usage, but his slider was his second most used at 27%, then the splitter and sinker tied for third at 9%. While those percentages are sure to change throughout the season, him leaning on his four-seamer more than half the time while only throwing his sinker once was surprising. Logic would tell us that since his pitches were all clocking in slower than usual, that his command would have been spot on. If you were watching the game, you’d know that was far from the truth. Gone was the Chapman who was throwing gas while painting the corners that we grew accustomed to in 2025, and back was the Chapman that seemed to not quite know where the ball was going once it left his hand. If we look at his heat maps from the outing on Opening Day, we see a pitcher struggling to find the zone. If his slider is going to miss high like that this season, he’s going to get knocked around eventually. Rust is likely playing a big factor here; he wasn’t able to pitch in the World Baseball Classic, which robbed him of some leverage outing during his tune-up for the season. If you're optimistic, that's the stance you'll take. But Father Time waits for no one. Chapman is 38 years old and has had a storied major league career. His resurgence to top-tier closer in 2025 was remarkable, and he was rewarded with a contract extension late in the season, but there were calls from some people to cut bait and trade him at the deadline last year because they didn’t believe that the resurgence was sustainable. If he is starting to feel his age, it’s entirely possible that we’ve seen the best version of Chapman come and go. Even a version of the closer who is at 75% of what he was last year would be effective, but it'd make late-game situations far more nerve-racking for the Red Sox. This is something to monitor, at least while the cold weather permeates the late-spring schedule. If Chapman's heat rises with the weather, this may be a conversation we can avoid having for a while yet. View full article

Second base has been arguably the most hotly debated position on the diamond for the Boston Red Sox throughout all of spring training. That was all put to bed when Alex Cora informed reporters on March 21 that Marcelo Mayer would be making the Opening Day roster as the starting second baseman for the team. The word starter here is a bit subjective, as Mayer will be eased in against left-handed pitchers much like every other left-handed hitting rookie/non-veteran player has been under Cora’s management. He likely won’t start the first two games of the season against the Reds, as they are showcasing two lefties right out of the gates. That being said, second base is now no longer a position of discussion, and hopefully the revolving door has been replaced by a potential Gold Glove winner in Mayer. Behind him though, there’s still a few questions to be answered at the keystone for the Red Sox. Boston Red Sox Second Basemen At A Glance Starter: Marcelo Mayer Backup: Andruw Monasterio, Caleb Durbin Depth: Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Romy Gonzalez (on 60-day IL) Prospects: Max Ferguson, Henry Godbout, Yoeilin Cespedes Red Sox fWAR Ranking Last Season: 19th out of 30 Red Sox fWAR Projection This Year: 26th out of 30 The Good Mayer is a potential Gold Glove-caliber defender. He’s young and plays the game with a swagger that is a bit foreign to most Red Sox players. He’s California cool and if he can stay on the field, he’s going to be a player that fans continue to fall in love with. It’s no secret that second base has been a black hole since Dustin Pedroia was injured on a dirty slide and forced into early retirement. Mayer should solidify the position for the next two years, until he slides over to his natural position at short stop after Trevor Story departs for free agency in 2027. Behind Mayer, we have newcomer Monasterio, who has been the surprise of spring training. They will work in an excellent platoon role that should highlight both of their strengths well. Monasterio hasn’t played a ton of second base in his big league career, but he’s incredibly athletic and has adapted well across the diamond during spring training. He can hit left-handed pitching with relative ease and should give Mayer a longer runway to come into his own. Kiner-Falefa is, effectively, an older version of Monasterio and play everywhere on the dirt, but he will act as a veteran mentor to both Mayer and Monasterio. He has the experience to be an excellent teacher and still has the defensive ability to compete for the utility Gold Glove this season, something he has claimed multiple times he wants to win. After that, Godbout has stood out for his new-found power in camp. While he’s still quite a ways away from sniffing the big-league roster, he’s shown that the future of second base appears to be in very good hands. Cespedes is a prospect that has been around the system for a couple of years, but Godbout has already passed him on the depth chart. He’s Rule 5 eligible after next season. so he’s either going to have to take fairly significant steps in 2026 and 2027 or he’s likely going to play his way out of the Red Sox's system down the road. Ferguson profiles as an emergency call up after an injury, but he tops out there. The Bad We can’t sugarcoat the fact that Mayer hasn’t played a full season of baseball since he was drafted due to injuries. He doesn’t carry the ‘injury-prone’ label yet, but another significant period on the shelf may force the Red Sox to start second guessing not including him in a trade for Ketel Marte during the offseason. Should the injury bug show back up, the team will be counting on Monasterio to take over at second, barring an unlikely mid-season position change for Caleb Durbin. Monasterio is unproven as a full-time starter and Durbin has played mostly third base since the Brewers moved him there during his rookie season in 2025. That’s a lot for three guys who are all still very early in their careers. Kiner-Falefa has veteran experience aplenty, but his offensive profile is lacking at this point in his career. He’s best suited for platoon and backup roles on this team, so putting him in a situation where he’s the main starter at second, or any infield spot really, would hamstring this team in a way that would be tough to come back from. The Bottom Line Marcelo Mayer is looking to prove to everyone that he’s healthy and worth the number four overall pick the team used on him in 2021. Breslow wasn’t the one calling the shots then, but he has to be excited at the potential Mayer possesses. That being said, if Mayer falters and struggles to recover, then Breslow likely won’t hesitate to pick up a veteran option at the keystone. This is Mayer’s chance to prove he belongs in Boston, and he seems ready to rise to the occasion. If he clicks, this team should have one of the best infields in baseball in 2026. View full article

The Boston Red Sox made yet another round of cuts in camp, mere days away from Opening Day. Notably, OF/INF Kristian Campbell headlines the group reassigned to minor-league camp. Pitchers Alex Gamboa, Tayron Guerrero, and Kyle Keller were also reassigned. Catcher Jason Delay, infielder Vinny Capra, and outfielder Braiden Ward were also reassigned, but they are remaining in major league spring training for now. Obviously, Campbell headlines the reassignment group for this round. Campbell came into camp with more muscle and with new mechanics at the plate. While he had some promising moments, his performance left a bit to be desired. He appeared in 18 games for the Red Sox this spring, slashing .220/.304/.645 with one home run, two doubles, a 23.9 K%, and a 4.3 BB%. If you’ve tuned into any spring training games so far, you’ll have noticed that he seems far more comfortable at the plate now, but he’s still adjusting to his new swing. When it clicks, he should take a giant step forward to hopefully become the player the team envisioned when they extended him at the start of the 2025 season. Guerrero was impressive in camp but his reassignment seems to indicate that the Andrew Bailey-led pitching lab doesn’t think what he’s currently working with is sustainable at the big-league level, yet. He’s a flamethrower, but the rest of his game needs more refinement. Keller has looked overmatched for much of spring training so his reassignment isn’t surprising. Gamboa falls into the same category as Keller; both obviously need more work and aren't likely to see the big-league roster any time soon. Delay, Capra, and Ward being reassigned also isn’t surprising. but the decision to keep them in Major League spring training is an indicator how high the organization is on them as capable depth options. Ward is likely going to be a late season call up to give the team a boost off the bench in pinch running situations, so look for him to continue to shine on the basepaths with Worcester for the bulk of the season. Delay was in the mix for the backup catcher role but this likely means he’s out of that race for now. Capra proved to be more than capable at handling infield duties while guys were given days off for rest down the stretch of spring training. Watch for at least one more round of cuts as the front office gets the team down to the 26-man roster before Opening Day on March 26. View full rumor

After a near-constant revolving door at first base over the past few seasons, the Boston Red Sox believe they have found their answer at the cold corner for the next couple of seasons thanks to a trade that sent starting pitching back to the St. Louis Cardinals. The team is hoping to get far more production from first base than they have in recent memory, and it looks like they’ve set themselves up to do just that. What was once a position of weakness for the Red Sox suddenly looks like a major strength as we head into the 2026 season. Red Sox First Basemen At A Glance Starter: Willson Contreras Backup: Isiah Kiner-Falefa Depth: Andruw Monasterio, Mickey Gasper, Triston Casas, Romy Gonzalez (Both will start 2026 on the IL) Prospects: Nathan Hickey Red Sox fWAR Ranking Last Year: 22nd out of 30 Red Sox fWAR Projection This Year: 14th out of 30 The Good Arguably the best move Craig Breslow made this offseason was to acquire Contreras from the Cardinals in a trade that sent starting pitching prospects back to the rebuilding club. Contreras is a pull-ball hitter and has a veteran's plate approach. He’s got some power to boot, and playing half of his games at Fenway Park should bump his home run totals up by at least a few in 2026. He’s going to provide a steady presence at the cold corner for the next two seasons, possibly three if the club exercises his 2028 option. Behind him, Kiner-Falefa has showcased his stellar defense across the diamond during spring training and, while an offensive downgrade when he’s in the lineup, is another veteran presence on this team of young guns. Don’t be shocked to see Monasterio leapfrog Kiner-Falefa for that backup job though, as he’s been one of the biggest standouts in camp so far and has likely earned a spot on the Opening Day roster. Like Kiner-Falefa, Monasterio can play all over the infield so his positional versatility plays right into Alex Cora’s plans. The Bad Notably, Contreras has a bit of an injury history. Most of those came when he was still a catcher, but it’s something to keep in mind moving forward. He’s also currently 33 and will turn 34 during the season, so he’s no spring chicken. Behind Monasterio and Kiner-Falefa, the Red Sox are thin at first base, at least for now. Waiting in the wings, and coming back sooner than many expected, is Triston Casas. He’s going to be looking to shed his ‘injury-prone’ label and provide a spark that many have been clamoring for since he debuted. Casas has 30-plus home run power, but we’ve yet to see a completely healthy season from him. When Casas returns to the major-league roster he’s likely going to be featured more as a designated hitter than a first baseman, but he will become the primary backup for Contreras at that point. Behind Casas, we have Gonzalez, who will begin the season on the 60-day IL as he’s recovering from recent shoulder surgery. Gonzalez should see the field at some point this season, and his success against left-handed pitching will help him once he’s healthy, but his spot is going to quickly come up for discussion if Monasterio continues to be the breakout performer he’s been in camp. The Bottom Line Willson Contreras will be a net-positive for the Red Sox, full stop. He’s going to contribute on both sides of the field and will step into a clubhouse leader role with ease. His bat should anchor the middle of the lineup, and hitting at Fenway Park should do nothing but bump his numbers in a positive direction. Once Casas is able to return to the 26-man roster, then the team will be at full strength. The Red Sox are finally stable at first base, and those are words that haven’t been said since at least 2018. While the cold corner isn’t as demanding as the rest of the infield, finally having legit major-league production from the position will help give the Red Sox the edge they need to compete for the AL East title in 2026. View full article

The Red Sox have made another series of spring training moves, reassigning multiple names to minor-league camp. This group is exclusively pitchers this time, which makes sense in the wake of the team signing southpaw Danny Coulombe last week. The names being reassigned are: left-handed pitcher T.J. Sikkema, and right-handed pitchers Seth Martinez, Wyatt Olds, and Noah Song. This leaves big league camp at 54 while Craig Breslow and the coaching staff begin to whittle away the depth options in the bullpen. It’s been a mixed bag for each of these four pitchers during their time in spring training. Song posted a stellar 1.13 ERA across six games, but lacked control as evidenced by his three wild pitches. He did post nine strikeouts though, indicating that there’s still life left in his pitch mix and he should be pushing for a spot on the 26-man roster at some point this season. Olds fared much worse, posting a 6.75 ERA over seven games, but he also struck out nine. Martinez held a 7.27 ERA with only five strikeouts. Sikkema clocked in with the highest ERA at 9.00 over three games, but struck out five in those three appearances. Song is perhaps the most shocking name to be reassigned so far in camp, but he doesn’t have a true spot in the bullpen as it’s currently constructed. Should he show out in Worcester early in the season, expect to see his name called early and often. As for the other three, the reassignment makes sense as none of them have shown to be dependable enough in camp to warrant consideration for the big-league roster at this point. We’re getting closer and closer to Opening Day, so expect more names to be reassigned to minor league camp as Breslow and Alex Cora start making the tough roster decisions. View full rumor

Designated hitter is arguably the most convoluted position in the Boston Red Sox’s lineup as we head into the 2026 season. That spot seems like it is primed to help the team kick the can down the road even further while they try to figure out how to knock loose the outfield logjam. Now, having too many major-league-caliber offensive players on one roster is hardly a negative thing, but Alex Cora is going to have to get creative very early on this season if the goal is to get regular at-bats for everyone currently labeled as an outfielder on the 26-man roster. Let’s dive into the position that may make or break the lineup this season. Red Sox Designated Hitter At A Glance Starter: Jarren Duran Backup: Masataka Yoshida Depth: Roman Anthony, Willson Contreras, Triston Casas Red Sox fWAR Ranking Last Year: 7th out of 30 Red Sox fWAR Projection This Year: 13th out of 30 The Good That’s a lot of potential power across the board for the designated hitter position. Both Duran and Yoshida have had standout performances during the World Baseball Classic, and Duran was on fire early in spring training, even against left-handed pitchers like Chris Sale. If Duran has found his power stroke again, and early returns indicate that he has, he should serve as the primary DH for the Red Sox moving forward. Anthony will see some time there on occasion because Duran needs to play the field from time to time as well, but those breathers should be few and far between as Anthony should be seeing regular time in left field as long as he’s healthy. Contreras will get the lion’s share of reps at first base but will need the occasional day off from the field as well, so look for him to rotate into the DH role too. What does that mean for Yoshida, though? Your guess is as good as mine. There has been at least rumored interest in him during the offseason and his strong showing at the WBC may give some teams the confidence to take on part of his salary to add him to their lineup, but that’s not a given. If healthy, and he clearly seems to be, he’s going to be an incredibly expensive bench piece. That’s a waste of his talent and team resources. The smart play here is to cut bait and eat the bulk of the rest of Yoshida's contract to send him somewhere he can get regular reps. The unknown here is Casas. We’re likely not going to see him until mid-to-late April at the earliest since he’s not going to get into any Grapefruit League games. Casas has 30-home run potential, but we’ve yet to see a fully healthy season out of him. If he bounces back from his knee injury as expected, he’s going to be pushing for a spot on the major-league roster sooner or later. While that’s an exciting thought for this season, it creates far more questions surrounding the current construction of the lineup. The Bad Essentially, take every good outcome listed above and reverse it. That’s the potential downside of having an open-door DH policy. Duran could struggle against left-handed pitching again while failing to provide much of a spark against righties. Anthony could hit his sophomore slump early in the season and take time to recover as the league adjusts to him. Contreras may not live up to the hype as a dominant pull-side hitter at Fenway. Yoshida could continue to struggle during the regular season. Casas might be slapped with the injury-prone label as he fails to return to form after two devastating injuries the past two years. It would be a catastrophe for the Red Sox, but let’s not pretend like the team is immune from those. Expecting all of that to happen during the same season, at the same time, feels farfetched right now. Should one or two of them come to pass, though? Then the front office will be on the ropes. The Bottom Line The Red Sox are in a very good place when it comes to the talent that will be cycling through the designated hitter position in 2026. Is there a true big-bat thumper in the group? That’s unlikely, but with how players have been performing in spring training and the WBC, it looks like there could be 20+ home run potential from each of the names listed above. That’s huge, especially for a team that lacks power on paper. The Red Sox have spent the offseason building, potentially, the best starting rotation in baseball. Alex Cora and Craig Breslow have even made comments about having to win low-scoring games with their defense. While that’s certainly on the table, it'd be nice if the offense can slug its way to a few wins as well. View full article