The breakdown: 35 thoughts on the 35 players still left in Red Sox camp (2024)

FORT MYERS, Fla. — All the tell-tale signs were there. Empty hangers in back-of-the-room lockers. Young guys stuffing duffle bags with extra shirts. A half-dozen players getting up to hug all 250 pounds of Domingo Tapia.

Monday morning brought another round of roster cuts in Red Sox camp, which meant a further thinning of the herd 10 days before the season opener. Eleven players were cut this time: pitchers Tapia, Zach Putnam, Erasmo Ramírez, and Josh Smith; catcher Oscar Hernandez; infielders C.J. Chatham, Bobby Dalbec, and Chad De La Guerra; and outfielders Bryce Brentz, Tate Matheny, and Cole Sturgeon. In the afternoon after pitcher, Ryan Weber, was sent down after two hitless innings against the Twins.

Add the five cuts from a week ago, and the fact that suspended Steven Wright has already — but unofficially — moved over to minor league camp, and the Red Sox roster is down to 35 players. They’ll trim 10 more before Opening Day.

In the meantime, here are 35 thoughts on the 35 who remain.

The starting lineup

1. Andrew Benintendi – Freshly appointed to the leadoff spot, Benintendi’s had a brutal spring — OPS well below .500 with one extra-base hit and one walk — but he looks strong, and it’s worth noting that Benintendi was terrific last spring, only to get off to an underwhelming first two weeks of the regular season. For a guy in his position, young and with an everyday job locked up, it’s hard to make much of spring numbers one way or the other.

2. Mookie Betts – On Monday morning, the Red Sox had Betts going through infield drills with the regular infielders. Seemed to be just a fun thing for Betts, who likes taking grounders from time to time, but it turned out the Red Sox were actually working on something. “We were working on the five-man infield,” manager Alex Cora said. “Last year, we only had one situation like that. It was in Cleveland. It’s just something in case of an emergency. I think it has to be an extreme groundball guy, and there’s not too many nowadays.”

3. Rafael Devers – Nothing official, but it really seems like Cora is leaning toward Devers in the No. 3 spot to open the season. Cora floated the possibility a few weeks ago, and it seemed more theoretical than anything — the kind of thing a manager says to boost a kid’s ego — but Devers was back in the No. 3 spot with all the other big league regulars on Monday, and he’s positively crushing the ball with the highest OPS of any Red Sox regular. Spring training numbers are pretty meaningless, but they just might keep Devers in the middle of the order to open the season.

4. J.D. Martinez – Have we mentioned that spring training numbers don’t mean much? Another case in point is Martinez, who didn’t hit a single home run last spring, then hit 43 of them in the regular season. This spring, he’s been even worse than last year. He did have an RBI single on Monday, but he’s still hitting just .200. Is anyone really worried that Martinez has forgotten how to hit? Doubtful.

5. Xander Bogaerts – One thing that’s caught my eye about Betts is how much attention surrounds him this spring. The opposite is true for Bogaerts. The guy might very well be the best free agent on the upcoming market — MLB Trade Rumors just picked him No. 1 on that list — but there’s rarely a crowd of media around Bogaerts’ locker. There’s a much larger crowd of teammates who seem to gravitate toward him. Wonder if the outside attention will change at some point. Of all the pending free agents, Bogaerts might be the most difficult for the Red Sox to replace.

6. Mitch Moreland – His hair is quite a bit longer this spring. That’s seriously all I’ve got on Moreland. He just kind of does his thing. He’s at his locker all the time. He’s perfectly pleasant in conversation. He’s a nice player with a clear role to play, and his own free agency quickly approaching. But that’s about it. Just a guy going about his business.

7. Jackie Bradley Jr. – A lot of strikeouts, but also quite a bit of power and good overall offensive numbers this spring. All good signs for a guy who overhauled his swing less than a year ago (one of the reasons Bradley’s spring training numbers might actually mean something). It’s been said before, but it really is the issue surrounding Bradley: If he can become a more consistent offensive threat to go with his incredible glove, he could be one of the most valuable outfielders in the American League.

8. Christian Vazquez – The Red Sox keep talking about three catchers for two spots on the roster, but do we really believe that? This time last year, the team locked Vazquez into a three-year contract extension through the 2021 season, and he responded with the worst offensive season of his career. Can’t imagine that his trade value is high, nor is the Red Sox desire to simply walk away from their commitment. Logically, it seems Vazquez is set. He might be splitting time, but he’s the one catcher I feel confident will be on the roster 10 days from now.

The bench players

9. Brock Holt – Along with the eight guys previously listed, Holt was the starting second baseman for Monday’s exhibition game. That position will be open while Dustin Pedroia is on the injured list to start the season. But just a few days after kids from Jimmy Fund spent a weekend in Red Sox camp, it occurs to me that Holt’s value goes well beyond the fact he’s one of the better utility players in the game. His genuine link to the community and outspoken personality make him a key piece of the clubhouse, even when he’s not playing every day.

10. Eduardo Núñez – Holt was at second on Monday, but Cora made it clear there will be no set second baseman when the season begins. He also made it clear that Núñez has impressed this spring with a knee that’s had even more time to heal following his late-2017 injury. “You see the way Nuney is swinging the bat and the way he is moving,” Cora said. “That’s a different player.”

11. Steve Pearce – The World Series MVP suffered a mild injury last week, but he’s apparently fine now. He was supposed to play in a minor league game on Monday, but because of some weather concerns, the Red Sox decided to give him a day off instead. Should be fine to break camp with the team. “We do feel with treatment and an off day today, he’s going to feel better,” Cora said.

The catchers in competition

12. Sandy Leon – When Salvador Perez got hurt, the Royals actually seemed like the kind of team that might want to trade for a glove-first catcher like Leon. Instead, they signed Martin Maldonado. The fact this winter proved to be a pretty difficult market for catchers — Matt Wieters settled for a minor league deal – probably doesn’t bode well for Leon’s value. Hard to tell if the Red Sox significantly value his defense ahead of…

13. Blake Swihart – He’s one of the most popular guys in camp, and one the Red Sox always seem to talk up without actually trusting him to do much of anything. Swihart’s a good athlete who’s having a really nice camp — his .865 OPS ranks behind only Devers and Bradley in terms of big league regulars — but it’s always difficult to tell how much that matters. I’ve started to think Swihart will be the one to make the team instead of Leon, but I can’t articulate why. Just a vague gut feeling that probably means nothing.

The starting rotation

14. Chris Sale – I was away from the team this weekend so that I could be with my son on his birthday, but I was told that Sale postponed an interview about being named the Opening Day starter so that he could spend more time with the Jimmy Fund, which supports Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in raising funds for adult and pediatric cancer care. I’ve seen other interactions this spring — with teammates’ kids, with members of the media relations department, in interviews with reporters — that have made me think of Sale as a really genuine guy. He rarely reveals much about himself, but little things have struck me this spring to make me think, at his core, he’s a good guy.

15. David Price – Here’s a pretty funny comment from Cora about the state of Price’s short-term sickness: “It’s still in that stage that it might be contagious,” Cora said. “We’ll keep him isolated for, I think, it’s 24 more hours. Somebody will play catch and good luck to that guy.” Cora joked that after Price plays catcher, the Red Sox are going to burn and bury the ball. Illness in spring training. It’s hilarious!

16. Rick Porcello – Do you remember an established pitcher getting this kind of spring training buzz out of his bullpens and batting practice sessions? Porcello’s spring debut was a total dud — two homers and one strikeout in three innings — but the consensus about his raw stuff seems unchanged. Pitchers and coaches alike have been raving about him, and they’ve been more vocal than what seems normal for a veteran player in spring training. Otherwise, Porcello’s another same-old, same-old guy in and around the clubhouse.

17. Nathan Eovaldi – That big contract sure isn’t weighing on Eovaldi’s fastball. His velocity was regularly into the upper 90s and touched triple digits in his start against the Twins on Monday. That’s encouraging considering he nearly maxed out his innings limit and pitched deep into October last season. “My arm feels great,” Eovaldi said. “It’s just getting used to having that full game-mode atmosphere out there. I feel like pitch-wise, I’m where I need to be. It’s just getting used to the hitters being in the box.”

18. Eduardo Rodriguez – Same story as last spring. And the spring before that. And the spring before that. Rodriguez is a bundle of talent that everyone seems to recognize, but he continues to occasionally frustrate the Red Sox with his inability to put guys away and work deep into games. It’s the issue we knew was hanging over Rodriguez when spring training opened, and it’s the issue that’s hanging over him still. Up to him to prove he can take that next step and become a consistent, durable big league starter.

The bullpen front runners

19. Matt Barnes – Barnes was getting hit hard on Monday before a lengthy mound visit from pitching coach Dana LeVangie. “I thought too many good swings were taking place for a guy that was actually throwing really well,” LeVangie said. The message was simple: Barnes was tipping his pitches. The Red Sox were happy with his velocity and the action on his curveball. “The swings that I got on pitches following the mound visit, I thought, were more in line with how I felt about my stuff today,” Barnes said.

20. Ryan Brasier – One year ago, he wasn’t even in big league camp, and now he’s the presumptive favorite to join Barnes in the late innings. That’s pretty crazy if you think about it. Even when the Red Sox talk about an open competition for bullpen roles, they talk about Brasier as if he’s apart from that group. He’s not fighting for a job. He has a job. And that’s based on four good months. Not saying it’s the wrong approach, but it’s pretty surprising. The Red Sox gave the guy a minor league deal out of Japan, gave him a shot in the big leagues, let him stick around, and they were sold. Have to imagine every journeyman pitcher is looking at Brasier and thinking, ‘that could be me.’

21. Heath Hembree – There was a significant chunk of last season when Hembree was No. 3 in the Red Sox bullpen pecking order, largely because of his ability to get out of jams whenever he entered with runners on base. That trust waned late in the season, and Hembree wasn’t even on the postseason roster until an injury opened a spot, but now he seems to be back in the circle of trust. Beyond Barnes and Brasier, I’d say Hembree’s job is the most secure in the bullpen.

22. Brandon Workman – His velocity has fluctuated this spring, including 88-90 with his fastball on Monday. He does have just one walk with 13 strikeouts, but the velocity is hard to ignore. “It’s always a concern with him,” Cora said. “The other pitches will work off the fastball. He’s not a guy that lives in the zone with his four-seamer. He actually lives at the edges of it. But that always is something that we’re looking at. There are certain days that it’s up there with the velocity. There’s other days that it’s not. Today it wasn’t.”

23. Brian Johnson – Another guy I fully expect to make the team out of camp. In fact, I think he could be the guy who gets that spot start in the 11th game. Johnson was a pretty good hitter in college, so the Red Sox might as well let him take an at-bat against the Diamondbacks. His versatility proved vital last season, and LeVangie said the team went out of its way to make sure Johnson (and Hector Velazquez) knew they were appreciated last season, despite the fact they weren’t chosen for the playoff roster. They’ll bank on that versatility again.

24. Tyler Thornburg – What a mystery. He’s clearly regained a lot of arm strength, but he’s still dealing with a lot of inconsistency following that surgery to address his thoracic outlet syndrome. My best guess right now is that Thornburg will make the team — the Red Sox will not easily or lightly give up on him – but Thornburg’s $1.75-million is not guaranteed, so there’s an argument to be made for giving up on him if the Red Sox are not convinced he’ll be consistent enough to help them.

The backfield guys

25. Dustin Pedroia – Still technically on the spring training roster, despite the Red Sox’ announced intention to have him open the season on the injured list. He played five innings in a minor league intrasquad game on Monday, just another step toward building endurance. He feels ready to break camp, but knows the Red Sox want to be cautious. The home opener feels likely for his season debut. “I feel like I’m ready now,” Pedroia said. “Once I build up more innings and see how everything responds and things like that is the big test. I definitely feel like I’m ready for that, and we’ll see.”

26. Marco Hernandez – Also played in a minor league game on Monday and went 0-for-3. Notable that Hernandez was a designated hitter in that game. He’s still not ready to play the field after a lengthy recovery from shoulder issues. “Obviously, he hasn’t played in a while,” Cora said. “And we still have a lot of time for that, but just to see him compete out there, I know he’s happy with the progression and we’re very pleased with how he’s gone about his business.”

The guys with options

27. Tzu-Wei Lin – Has been a nice hitter this spring, and obviously he can play just about anywhere. At some point this season, the Red Sox are going to need him, and with both Holt and Nunez set to become free agents, he might have a lasting role on the big league bench next year. Teammates love him. Kind of a known commodity just waiting for a chance to really prove he has some staying power in the majors.

28. Sam Travis – Hard to know what to make of his future in the organization. In 2017, he looked like a really nice role player as a right-handed hitter who could handle big league lefties. But the Red Sox basically blocked him when the acquired Pearce – a more proven version of the same player – and now they have Michael Chavis and Bobby Dalbec on the verge as well. Travis isn’t hitting the way he did last spring, but it hardly matters. He might need to find another organization, but how much value is there in a platoon first baseman?

29. Hector Velazquez – Seems to have a role to play going forward, but the fact that he has options might put Velazquez on the Triple-A shuttle from time to time. Wouldn’t surprise me to see him open the season in the minors, if only so he can get stretched out to return for the 11th game of the season, when the Red Sox use a sixth starter (even if that starter is Johnson, having a fresh Velazquez to back up would be useful). Pretty similar to his role last year. Velazquez’s greatest value is in his flexibility, both in terms of roles he can play and in terms of having options.

30. Colten Brewer – Not sure why, but I didn’t expect Brewer to be as big as he is. He’s listed at 6-foot-4, and he just looks like the kind of guy who should be a pretty good pitcher (not that such a thing means anything). Ultimately, he’s the new guy, the one bullpen acquisition who should have an up-and-down role this season. His spring training results have been spotty, and he’s pitched just 11 times in the majors, but I’d expect to see him at some point this season. Maybe at multiple points.

31. Bobby Poyner – A lefty who can get right-handers out. That seems to be the only kind of left-handed reliever Cora has any interest in carrying on the roster. These three names — Velazquez, Brewer and Poyner — could spend a lot of the season passing around that final spot in the bullpen. They all have something to like without much to guarantee them a lasting opportunity. Just waiting for one of them to pitch too well to be sent back down.

32. Marcus Walden – When the offseason started, I assumed it was just a matter of time before Walden was taken off the 40-man roster. But he stuck around all winter, and now he’s pitched to a 1.69 ERA this spring. Given his ability to give multiple innings, I don’t think it’s out of the question that he could make the Opening Day roster for the second year in a row. He and Johnson could share the long-man role initially, then Walden and Velazquez could swap places so that Velazquez comes up to give the Red Sox a fresh arm for that sixth-starter game. Just an idea.

33. Darwinzon Hernandez – Here’s another option if the Red Sox want another long man to open the season. Hernandez was basically a non-factor when camp opened — the Red Sox all but guaranteed he wouldn’t make the team – but Cora has now opened the door to Hernandez being with the Red Sox at least briefly. He could go on the big league roster until Pedroia is activated, then resume his development schedule in Double-A. Seems possible. The Sox clearly think he has a bright future.

The non-roster remainders

34. Juan Centeno – At some point, the Red Sox are going to get rid of either Leon or Swihart, and they’ve already sent Austin Rei and Oscar Hernandez to minor league camp. That leaves Centeno, unsurprisingly, as the catcher in waiting should someone get hurt and the Red Sox have a need for additional depth behind the plate. This is basically what Centeno does. He’s a capable defender, he’s an experienced big leaguer, and he’s familiar to Cora. His role is clear, even if there’s no spot for him at the moment.

35. Gorkys Hernandez – It seems telling that Hernandez is still on the roster, while Bryce Brentz has been sent down to Triple-A. Those two signed minor league deals to serve as outfield depth in the minors, and the fact Hernandez is sticking around a bit longer suggests he’s ahead of Brentz in the call-up pecking order. Again, that’s not much of a surprise. Brentz out-hit Hernandez this spring, but Hernandez has 374 games of big league experience, including 142 with the Giants last year.

(Photo: Billie Weiss / Getty Images)