Everything You Need to Know From Red Sox's Opening Series vs. Reds

The Boston Red Sox had an intriguing first series of the season against the Cincinnati Reds.

Mar 29, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Connelly Early (71) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox have three games under their belt to kick off the 2026 Major League Baseball season.

Unfortunately, the Red Sox dropped two of the three games against the Cincinnati Reds, but there were positive takeaways from the first series of the season. Let's dive in and take a look at the biggest takeaways from the series.

Connelly Early

Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early (71) throws a pitch in the second inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, March 29, 2026. The game was scoreless after three innings. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Let's kick this off with the most recent positive for Boston: the performance of Connelly Early on Sunday against the Reds. The 23-year-old lefty earned a surprise spot in the starting rotation out of Spring Training and shined against Cincinnati. Early pitched 5 1/3 innings against Cincinnati and allowed just one earned run while striking out six batters. He also made a bit of team history by becoming the youngest hurler since Babe Ruth to allow one or fewer runs and strike out five or more batters in one of Boston's first three games of a season. Early earned a spot in the rotation and showed why.

How Boston Has Handled The Outfield

Oct 2, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida (7) runs to first base after hitting a single in the fourth inning against the New York Yankees during game three of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

This is going to be a talking point all season for the Red Sox and certainly has been through three games. Masataka Yoshida got his first start of the season on Sunday in left field for Boston. He went 0-for-2 with two walks. On Saturday, he was used as a pinch hitter and walked. On Sunday, Ceddanne Rafaela sat while Roman Anthony was designated hitter, Yoshida was in left field, Jarren Duran was in center field and Wilyer Abreu was in right field. The first two games of the season had Anthony in left field, Rafaela in center field, Abreu in right field and Duran as DH.

Starting Rotation In General

Boston Red Sox pitcher Sonny Gray (54) delivers a pitch in the third inning between the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Saturday, March 28, 2026. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Garrett Crochet and Early were both electric, but Sonny Gray didn't have the start he wanted to have in his first appearance in a Red Sox uniform. Gray went four innings on Saturday against the Reds and allowed three earned runs and four runs total. He struck out five batters and walked one. Crochet was everything the Red Sox could've hoped for on Opening Day with six shutout innings against Cincinnati while striking out eight batters.

Marcelo Mayer

Mar 29, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Marcelo Mayer (11) signals to challenge a pitch in the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Mayer was one of the stories of Spring Training as he looked to earn a role with the big league club. He won a job out of camp and has been great so far. Mayer came off the bench on Opening Day and went 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored. He followed up on Saturday with another double. Overall, he's 3-for-9 so far on the season in three games for Boston.