Red Sox Speedster Seemingly Has No Spot on Opening Day Roster

A busy week for the Boston Red Sox seems to have left one player in particular on the outside looking in.

Down the stretch last season, Nate Eaton played a shockingly important role for the Red Sox. He was starting every game against left-handed pitching, and found himself on the basepaths in key moments far more frequently than fellow speedster David Hamilton.

But with the additions of Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Caleb Durbin in the past week, the Red Sox's infield suddenly looks overstocked, and Eaton's only path to playing time in the outfield last year was the injury to Roman Anthony. Is the 29-year-old destined to start the year in Triple-A?

Hard to see path for Eaton to win significant role

Sep 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Boston Red Sox infielder Nate Eaton against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The obvious caveat here is that it's so early in spring training that it's hard to say anything definitively. Injuries can occur at any time, and already, we've learned that Romy Gonzalez is dealing with a left shoulder issue that's put him behind schedule.

It seems as though Gonzalez's issue is relatively minor, though, and he clearly established himself as the more important righty platoon bat over Eaton last year by batting .305 with an .826 OPS, which would have been better if he hadn't faced so many righties down the stretch.

Eaton deserves props for what he accomplished in 41 games for the Red Sox, though. After not making the major league roster at any point in 2024 for the Kansas City Royals, he posted a .731 OPS/105 OPS+ and stole nine bases in 11 attempts.

The addition of Kiner-Falefa, in particular, was a bad sign for Eaton. That seemed to signal that the Red Sox wanted more of a glove-first backup infielder, rather than a speedy spark plug. Kiner-Falefa's presence also likely means Gonzalez will get work in the outfield this spring and would see playing time there over Eaton if both were healthy.

It's just not an advantageous situation in which Eaton finds himself as of early February, and a big performance in spring training likely wouldn't even help that much as long as all the guys who are clearly in front of him stay healthy. The fact that he has a minor-league option makes the Red Sox all the more likely to use it.

More MLB: Red Sox's Patrick Sandoval Makes Priorities Clear Amid Trade Rumors