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Red Sox roster battles: Which five questions must Alex Cora answer before Opening Day?
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- Red Sox roster battles: Which five questions must Alex Cora answer before Opening Day?
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Thursday brought some more clarity to the Red Sox’ Opening Day roster picture as Alex Cora officially named Caleb Durbin the starting third baseman and Nick Sogard was optioned to Triple-A Worcester, clearing the path for Andruw Monasterio to make the team. With less than a week to go before the start of the season, only a few questions remain as Alex Cora builds his 26-man group.
Here’s a look at five of them the Red Sox must answer before camp breaks:
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1) Will Johan Oviedo keep hold of the No. 5 spot in the rotation?
The quartet of Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez and Brayan Bello will break camp in the rotation (in some order) but the Red Sox have still not officially announced who their No. 5 starter will be. All signs continue to point to righty Johan Oviedo, who remains healthy and has had the inside track on the roster since the start.
Rookie lefties Connelly Early and Payton Tolle both remain in camp, and after pitching well in camp, look ready to contribute as the season begins. If the Red Sox go with Oviedo, though, there would be no room in the big leagues for the two southpaws. Service time considerations are in play, too.
It seems to be a matter of time before Cora announces that Oviedo will be in the rotation to start the year, but until it’s official, there’s a sliver of a chance either Early or Tolle could supplant him.
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2) Who fills out the bullpen?
There are eight spots in the bullpen and four of them will go to Aroldis Chapman , Garrett Whitlock , Justin Slaten and Greg Weissert . From there, things are a bit unsettled.
Veteran Danny Coulombe will be on the Opening Day roster as long as he’s deemed ready after a late arrival to camp. He made his spring debut Thursday night and looks good to go. That leaves three spots, with two very likely going to lefty Jovani Morán (a camp standout who is out of minor league options) and righty Zack Kelly (unless the Sox choose to have him work on command at Triple-A, where he can be optioned freely).
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One spot, then, remains an open competition. Newcomer Tommy Kahnle is in a race against time after arriving Thursday and could pose a late challenge to Rule 5 pick Ryan Watson, lefty Tyler Samaniego and non-roster invitees Kyle Keller and Tayron Guerrero , who have impressed. Of those five, Watson — who has looked better recently after early camp struggles — is the only player the Red Sox could lose if he doesn’t make it. Preserving depth might be a factor and there’s always the possibility of an external addition when players opt out of deals with other teams and re-enter free agency in the coming days.
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3) Will someone unseat Connor Wong as the backup catcher?
Cora gave Wong a vote of confidence Wednesday and he remains the favorite to be the backup to Carlos Narváez when the season starts . Still, Wong hasn’t shown signs of bouncing back from a horrible offensive season in 2025, as he’s just 2-for-26 with nine strikeouts in exhibition play. His grip on a roster spot has loosened.
The Red Sox have Mickey Gasper , Matt Thaiss and Jason Delay in camp as challengers to Wong and there remains a chance one of them wins the backup job if Wong continues to struggle in the final days of camp. It would take an upset, but it’s not out of the question. Potentially influencing matters is that Thaiss has an upward mobility clause (that allows him to pursue other opportunities) kicking in Sunday. Catcher is another area where the Sox could turn to the opt-out market.
4) What’s the holdup with Mayer?
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All signs continue to point to Marcelo Mayer beginning the year as the primary second baseman, but Cora still won’t cop to it . After an early-camp challenge, Mayer has responded by playing well and the decision to play Durbin at third puts the writing on the wall for Mayer to be Trevor Story ’s double-play partner.
Most likely, the delay is for ceremonious reasons — and a situation where Cora wants to bring Mayer into his office in the final days of camp and inform him he made the Opening Day roster for the first time. Managers don’t often inform the media (and therefore the public) of decisions before they talk to players directly. Mayer’s inclusion seems like a formality.
5) Could a Masataka Yoshida trade shake things up?
The vast majority of Red Sox-related decisions to come are either formalities or along the margins. If there’s a major shakeup, though, it would likely come in the form of a Masataka Yoshida trade.
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The entire baseball world knows Yoshida is a poor fit for Boston ’s roster as a left-handed hitting outfielder with limited defensive capabilities. He’s clearly behind Roman Anthony , Jarren Duran , Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu on the depth chart. The Red Sox have been able to move Yoshida (and his sizable contract) despite trying for years but will likely keep trying to clear the logjam. Timing makes such a move difficult, but it can’t be fully ruled out.
A Yoshida trade would open a path for someone else, likely Nate Eaton or Kristian Campbell , to make the roster as a right-handed hitting outfield option. Outside of such a deal, the position player group is pretty settled after Thursday’s Sogard demotion.
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