Red Sox's Last-Minute Weapon Could Be Ready for Opening Day

The Boston Red Sox found their missing puzzle piece on Thursday.

While some may point to the infield as an area to look to add, arguably they're actually in a great position in the infield. The Red Sox haven't announced anything officially, but Marcelo Mayer should be at second base on Opening Day and if he is, the Red Sox are going to be fine. Willson Contreras at first base, Trevor Story at shortstop and Caleb Durbin at third base are all locks right now, barring something shocking.

There has been some wild trade chatter out there about the infield, but it's unnecessary. The Red Sox's roster is loaded and the only area where they were kind of lacking was in the bullpen and specifically with lefties. On Thursday, the Red Sox found a solution with exactly two weeks to go by signing veteran Danny Coulombe. It sounds like the fanbase will get a look at him soon as well. The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey reported on Friday that Coulombe is "aiming" to be ready for Opening Day.

The Red Sox made a very good move

Sep 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers relief pitcher Danny Coulombe (54) reacts after issuing a walk during the sixth inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

"Danny Coulombe is in camp and threw a bullpen before the camp," McCaffrey wrote. "He said he's aiming to be ready by Opening Day and after 15 spring trainings, he has a good idea of what he needs to do to build up. He'd been working out back home in Dallas."

Danny Coulombe is in camp and threw a bullpen before the camp. He said he's aiming to be ready by Opening Day and after 15 spring trainings, he has a good idea of what he needs to do to build up. He'd been working out back home in Dallas
— Jen McCaffrey (@jcmccaffrey) March 13, 2026

That would just be impressive if he is ready to roll for the March 26th opener on the road against the Cincinnati Reds.

It doesn't really make much sense that Coulombe was available this late in the first place. Sure, he's 36 years old, so he's not a spring chicken from an MLB perspective. But he had a 2.30 ERA in 55 appearances last season with the Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers. He hasn't even logged an ERA above 2.81 since 2021. That's a weapon to have in the bullpen and the Red Sox needed him. Now, arguably the roster is set on paper.

Somehow the Red Sox got this guy on a one-year deal worth $1 million. That's a price that every single team in baseball could've afforded. Fortunately, Boston was able to get him and it sounds like he has a shot at being ready for Opening Day.