Breaking down the Sox roster
After spending the last two months in florida, the Red Sox open the 2024 season in Seattle late thursday night.
Here’s a look at the players who will attempt to outperform the low expectations that hover over the Sox, who have finished last in the American league East the past two seasons.
Infield
■ 1B triston casas —He turned 24 in January, and that reality might be a scary one for the rest of the league. casas was the Sox’ best hitter in the second half of last season and is already viewed as a franchise pillar.
■ 2B Vaughn grissom — Acquired from the braves in the chris Sale trade, grissom will begin the season on the injured list with a nagging groin problem. He has excellent bat-to-ball skills and the hope is that he can be a fixture at second for years.
■ 2B Enmanuel Valdez — With grissom on the Il, Valdez will get a good amount of time at second, likely in a platoon role. He can impact the game at the plate, but the glove is still a big question mark.
■ INF Pablo Reyes — He can play up the middle, and the Red Sox have mentioned that he could see some time at first base.
■ SS trevor Story — He’s finally healthy, and a healthy Story at shortstop every day will help the Sox. It wouldn’t be bold to bet that he will be an All-Star.
■ 3B Rafael Devers — He added another Silver Slugger to his résumé last year, but there’s more in the tank offensively. Devers, the team’s $300 million man, lowered his hands in an attempt to catch up with velocity, and it paid off during the spring. A full year of Story at shortstop should help Devers, who struggled defensively last season.
■ INF/OF bobby Dalbec — there probably should be a “free Dalbec” sign in fenway Park this year. After nearly being traded last season, he is still here, offering the Sox power and defensive versatility.
Catchers
■ Connor Wong — Pitchers enjoy throwing to Wong because of his game-calling ability. In his second full season in the big leagues, Wong will get most of the reps behind the dish.
■ Reese McGuire — He will claim a lot of the backup role this season. mcguire has solid bat-to-ball skills but can hurt the club behind the dish.
Outfielders
■ RF Wilyer Abreu — the Sox are high on Abreu, and believe he will handle right field well. We’ll see.
■ LF/DH masataka Yoshida — He’s tough to watch in the field, which is why he will get a lot of time at DH, a position the Sox would like to platoon. His numbers are solid as an outfielder, but as a DH? not so much.
■ OF Rob Refsnyder — He’ll start the season on the injured list, which will give the Sox time to manage the logjam in the outfield. Refsnyder’s value comes in his ability to hit lefties and play all three outfield positions.
■ OF Jarren Duran — He had a breakout season last year and should take another leap this season. Duran is the Sox’ most electric athlete, and you certainly feel his impact.
■ OF ceddanne Rafaela — the most polarizing Red Sox prospect in recent memory. Rafaela cracked the opening Day roster following a good spring, but the regular season will be the real test. His swing is long and he has a tendency to chase, but his athleticism makes up for a lot of his flaws. He will get some time at second with the injury to grissom, but his true value comes in center, where the Sox believe he can win a gold glove.
■ OF tyler o’neill — Health is a huge question mark for o’neill. When he plays, he is a really good player and could help the Sox both in the power and defense department. Yet he dealt with a nagging quad this spring, bringing back some of those health concerns.
Starting pitchers
■ RH Brayan Bello — He’s the Sox’ youngest opening Day starter since Aaron Sele in 1995. bello had a promising rookie campaign and the Sox rewarded him with a six-year, $55 million contract extension. bello, who doesn’t turn 25 until may, is visibly stronger, which the Sox believe will help him in the latter half of the season.
■ RH Nick Pivetta —He found himself last year after he was demoted to the bullpen. Pivetta is more aggressive in the zone and developed a sweeper. According to manager Alex cora, Pivetta is a different pitcher now.
■ RH Tanner Houck — this seems like it’s his last chance to prove himself as a starter. He will need to throw strikes more often and keep his pitch count down. If he does that, the Sox might have something.
■ RH Kutter Crawford —the metrics and stat goblins salivate over crawford’s stuff. the Sox are hoping crawford’s stuff will match up with results this season. He focused on his lower half as a means to maintain his endurance.
■ RH Garrett Whitlock — His real value is still in the bullpen, but the Sox are short on starters, and they believe Whitlock can contribute — especially with his ability to throw strikes.
Relievers
■ RH Kenley Jansen — He dealt with small injuries throughout the spring, beginning with a sore shoulder followed by back tightness. Jansen will likely need some time to get in the groove considering he missed most of the spring.
■ RH Chris Martin — martin was the Sox’ best reliever last year, anchoring the back end of the bullpen. If the Sox are out of contention by the deadline, martin, along with Jansen, could be a trade piece for a contender.
■ RH Greg Weissert —the Sox are confident that Weissert, acquired in the Alex Verdugo trade, can fill the role of John Schreiber, who was shipped to the Royals in february.
■ LH Brennan Bernardino — He had a solid season last year. His deceptive delivery and mix of pitches make him effective.
■ RH Justin Slaten — A Rule 5 draft guy, Slaten had a great spring. His upper-90s fastball gives the Sox something they lacked last year. If he can throw strikes, Slaten might be a steal.
■ RH Josh Winckowski — He came into camp battling for a rotation spot, but the Sox ultimately decided to keep him in a relief role. Winckowski’s pitches play up in the bullpen, where he was effective in 2023.
■ RH Isaiah campbell — He’s a righty who is dominant against lefties, and developed a twoseamer so he can be more effective against righties. campbell will be a high-leverage reliever.
■ RH chase Anderson — Signed at the end of camp, he has the ability to start but will be used as a multi-inning reliever.
■ LH Joely Rodríguez — A down season last year was marred by injury. the Sox are high on his stuff. He will need to throw more strikes to be effective.