Red Sox WBC Standout 'Primed' to Miss Opening Day Roster

The Boston Red Sox utility man may not be on the Opening Day roster.

Mar 3, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Great Britain third baseman Nate Eaton (18) acknowledges the Milwaukee Brewers dugout in the first inning at the American Family Fields. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

There is under one week to go until Opening Day and the roster is starting to come together for the Boston Red Sox.

Boston has been trimming down the roster in waves and we're going to see more moves in the coming days. On Thursday, the Red Sox optioned infielder Tsung-Che Cheng and utility man Nick Sogard down to minor league camp. Boston also assigned Max Ferguson, Tyler McDonough, Mikey Romero, Allan Castro and Nathan Hickey to minor league camp. There are still more cuts to come.

While sharing a roster projection on Friday, The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey noted that World Baseball Classic star Nate Eaton is "primed" to be sent down to Triple-A.

The Red Sox have some decisions to make

Mar 7, 2026; Houston, TX, United States; Great Britain third baseman Nate Eaton (18) celebrates with first base coach Matt Talarico (52) after hitting a single against the United States during the sixth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

"Nick Sogard was optioned to minor-league camp on Thursday, and Nate Eaton also seems primed to begin the year in Triple-A," McCaffrey wrote. "Eaton played 12 games at third last year, but hasn’t played the infield at all this camp and Cora said he views him as an outfielder.

Still, Cora likes his speed and instincts on the basepaths and there’s an outside chance he pushes for a roster spot. His homer for Great Britain in the WBC off Tarik Skubal certainly didn’t hurt his chances of making the team. Meanwhile, Kristian Campbell is likely to begin the season in the Triple-A outfield as he continues to search for offensive consistency."

This isn't the most shocking statement in the world. Andruw Monasterio has been electric in camp and arguably has earned a spot on the big league roster. He has played in 14 games and has slashed .323/.421/.484 with one homer, five RBIs, five walks and a .905 OPS.

Eaton is someone who can play all over the place, but as McCaffrey pointed out, he hasn't been in the infield and the outfield is full. He made some noise in the World Baseball Classic while slashing .316/.316/.579 with a loud homer off Tarik Skubal for Great Britain. While that is the case, it doesn't sound like his chances of making the big league club out of camp are great right now.