What We Got Right — and Wrong — About the Red Sox in Spring Training

It was a long — and transformative — offseason for the Boston Red Sox and now, the club is finally set to begin the 2026 Major League Baseball season.

Boston will face off against the Cincinnati Reds with the first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m ET from Great American Ball Park. The 162-game marathon of a season is finally here. With that being said, let's take a look at things we got right — and things we got wrong.

Things We Got Right

Feb 27, 2026; North Port, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Marcelo Mayer (11) bats in the second inning against the Atlanta Braves during spring training at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

On March 20, we shared an Opening Day roster projection for Boston. We nailed each position-player pick. Boston's Opening Day roster has Willson Contreras, Marcelo Mayer, Trevor Story, Caleb Durbin Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Andruw Monasterio, Wilyer Abreu, Masataka Yoshida, Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaeala, Connor Wong and Carlos Narváez on the Opening Day roster. We nailed this part of the roster.

From a pitching standpoint, we also projected most of the hurlers on the big league roster as well. For the bullpen, we projected Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock, Justin Slaten, Greg Weissert, Danny Coulombe, Zack Kelly, Jovani Morán and Ryan Watson. Of this group, all but Kelly made the big league club.

What We Got Wrong

Mar 6, 2026; Lakeland, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early (71) pitches during the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

For the roster, we got wrong what most around the team got wrong. Connelly Early made the club out of camp, which was a surprise to many. With Early in the rotation, that moved Johan Oviedo to the bullpen. With Oviedo in the bullpen, that was one less for others, which seemingly knocked Kelly off the roster.

Early is going to be in the Red Sox's starting rotation for at least the first time through the rotation for Boston. After that, it's anyone's guess what will happen next.

Outlook For Boston

Mar 15, 2026; Miami, FL, United States; United States left fielder Roman Anthony (3) rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the fourth inning against the Dominican Republic during a semifinal game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

It's going to be a very fun season for Boston. Now, of course, things could change if injuries pop up. But the Red Sox are loaded on paper right now and don't have any glaring holes. Some will point to a potential lack of power. Boston may not have a 40-homer hitter right now, but arguably Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu at least have the potential to get close. Maybe even over 30 homers in 2026, if they can stay healthy. Willson Contreras has a 20-plus homer power as well. There is power in the lineup, but a lot of it will come from guys taking steps forward, so it's difficult to really project.

Regardless, the Red Sox have the best rotation in baseball on paper, the best outfield in baseball, an elite bullpen and the infield arguably has significant upside. If the Red Sox can stay healthy, they are going to be very good in 2026.