Boston Red Sox
Boston’s starting lineup is starting to take shape, but roster opportunities are still up for grabs.
Mickey Gasper is back with the Red Sox, who are looking for better catching depth in 2026. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)
A relatively quiet offseason of acquisitions has made for an interesting spring training for the Red Sox. Certain aspects of the starting lineup are starting to take form, but Boston’s 40-man roster is far from solidified.
Depth in particular could become a concern for the Red Sox roster as currently constructed, but that also leaves room for some under the radar prospects to fight for a rotational roster spot.
Here are 4 Red Sox that have taken advantage of their opportunities this spring.
Braiden Ward
Ward has been an exciting player to watch run bases this spring.
The 27-year-old has registered 10 hits and a whopping 12 stolen bases in 12 spring training games. No other Red Sox has more than two steals, and Ward himself accounts for 50 percent of Boston’s steals as a team.
Ward is a largely unproven prospect and will likely still have more minor league ball ahead of him, but he certainly found a way to make an impression this March.
Max Ferguson
Ferguson has spent the past two seasons hovering between Portland and Worcester in the Red Sox pipeline, but is showing some promise this spring.
He hit a grand slam earlier in spring training, and as a result leads all Red Sox in RBIs (7). He also added a double, and has an OPS of .821 in 17 at bats. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but he’s certainly exceeded expectations thus far.
2026 will likely be another season primarily in the minors for Ferguson, but he does have some positional versatility that adds value to a potential call-up if he received one. Ferguson has played second base, short stop and center field in the minors.
Mickey Gasper
Having Gasper back on the Red Sox as a depth option at catcher could be valuable this season.
Carlos Narvaez exceeded expectations in 2025, but the high workload seemed to affect his offensive output down the stretch. Connor Wong wasn’t a particularly strong offering in relief, so any offense Gasper could add to that group would be welcome.
Gasper has six hits this spring with five RBIs and a home run. He’s also only struck out twice in his 17 at bats.
Tayron Guerrero
Aside from the big names locked in for roster spots already, Guerrero might be having the best spring of anyone in Boston’s bullpen. He’s pitched six relief innings and totaled six strikeouts (tied for third among all Red Sox pitchers this spring) and only one earned run.
Guerrero has given up seven hits which is a mild concern, but considering that his last MLB stint came in 2019, his outings have looked steady. Stranding runners on base is something Boston wasn’t able to do consistently in 2025 with its bullpen.
If Guerrero can keep that trajectory, he could be valuable in relief for Alex Cora and company.
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