Red Sox .296 Utility Man in Danger of Missing Opening Day Cut

With March now here, it means that we are under one month away from regular season baseball finally returning.

It felt like an excruciatingly long offseason for the Boston Red Sox before Spring Training kicked off, likely because of all of the turnover. There's a lot to like about the organization heading into the 2026 season, even without Alex Bregman on the club. Arguably, the Red Sox are positioned better right now than they were at the beginning of the 2025 season. Injuries will play a role in this idea, obviously. But the Red Sox are loaded with pitching depth, added Willson Contreras and Caleb Durbin, Roman Anthony is going to be with the club for the entire season, the outfield in general is the best in the big leagues, plus young infielder Marcelo Mayer should have a significant role coming his way.

Things are tending upwards, even though Boston isn't likely to be completely at full strength when the 2026 season opens. The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey noted that Kutter Crawford is likely to begin the season on the Injured List.

"Kutter Crawford is likely to start the year on the injury list as he builds up from wrist and knee surgeries; he’s just started facing hitters in live batting practice," McCaffrey wrote. "Patrick Sandoval, coming off Tommy John surgery, has been facing batters in live BP, but has not yet entered a game and likely won’t be ready for a full starter workload by the end of camp."

The Red Sox have roster decisions to make

Sep 19, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton (40) celebrates after scoring a run during the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Red Sox's bench is going to look a bit different as well. Nate Eaton is someone who endeared himself to Boston fans while hitting .296 in 41 games played. While this is the case, McCaffrey said there is "little room" for Eaton or Kristian Campbell to make the Opening Day roster.

"While the last bench spot normally would go to an outfielder, the Red Sox already have four outfielders in the mix," McCaffrey wrote. "Newcomer Andruw Monasterio, acquired in the Durbin trade, appears to have a leg up on a bench role early in camp. Monasterio has impressed Cora and hit lefties well last season in a limited sample (.837 OPS in 50 plate appearances). ... That leaves little room for Nate Eaton, a productive bench player last season, and Kristian Campbell, who’s been putting in the swing work to get back to Boston. Eaton and Campbell would likely be first in line when injuries occur."

Both are guys we'll likely see in the majors at some point in 2026, even if they're not on the Opening Day roster. We're finally under one month to Opening Day. As of writing, there are 23 days left until Boston kicks off the season on March 26 against the Cincinnati Reds. Over the next couple of weeks, the Red Sox will be looking to finalize the big league roster. As of right now, things aren't looking great for Crawford or Eaton.