Red Sox Official ALWCS Roster: Biggest Surprises, Omissions and Decisions

Things are getting real for the Boston Red Sox. On Tuesday night, Boston will begin a three-game wild-card series against the New York Yankees and we now know who will officially be on the club's roster.

On Tuesday morning, Boston revealed its official wild-card roster, including the activation of lefty superstar Garrett Crochet off the Injured List:

Here's the entire roster, surprises, omissions and decisions to come:

Full Roster

Apr 25, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) looks on during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Catcher (2):

Adley Rutschman, Connor Wong

Infielders (5):

Willson Contreras, Caleb Durbin, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Andruw Monasterio, Trevor Story

Outfielders (5):

Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Jahmai Jones, Ceddanne Rafaela

Infielder/Outfielders (2):

Nate Eaton, Nick Sogard

Pitchers (12):

Brayan Bello, Jake Bennett, Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Crochet, Alec Gamboa, Sonny Gray, Erik Miller, Wyatt Olds, Ranger Suarez, Payton Tolle, Greg Weissert, Garrett Whitlock

Biggest Surprises

Sep 20, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton (18) reacts at a foul ball during the eighth inning against Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On Monday, one of the biggest talking points around the Red Sox was the fact that speedster Braiden Ward was in New York with the club for the series. It wasn't guaranteed that he would be on the roster, but it was interesting that he was in town with the club. But he doesn't get the call. Instead, it's Nate Eaton on the playoff roster. Last year, he played in two of Boston's three playoff games against the Yankees and has good speed himself. With the amount of depth Boston has this year, it would be surprising to see him in the action, unless he's a late-game pinch-runner.

Omissions

Sep 22, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Jovani Morán (47) on the mound against the Cleveland Guardians in the eighth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the Red Sox, one guy who isn't on the roster who we projected would be is Jovani Moran. He had a 3.15 ERA in 50 appearances throughout the regular season. Rather than carrying 13 pitchers, Boston opted for 14 position players and 12 pitchers. That squeezed Moran out. Patrick Sandoval and Tanner Houck also didn't make the wild-card roster.

They are both prominent names, but the decisions shouldn't be the most shocking thing in the world. Houck threw three innings on Sunday and Sandoval followed with 4 2/3 innings of work on Sunday as well. The wild-card series is going to run through Thursday, at most. Both need some time to recover. If the Red Sox advance, it wouldn't be shocking to see them on an American League Division Series roster.

Decisions

Mar 26, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Crochet on the roster, now it's going to be about how to use him. Is he a one-inning guy? Multi-inning? Could he go multiple days in a row? With Crochet in the mix as a reliever these are all things to think about. The Yankees have a lefty-heavy lineup, which makes a healthy Crochet even more appealing. On Tuesday, the Red Sox will roll with Payton Tolle as the starter. Do you go lefty to lefty? Or, potentially wait until Game 2 to slot Crochet in behind the righty Sonny Gray? Arguably, that would be the most intriguing path. But this is the playoffs. It's a three-game series and you can't bank on anything. If Tolle were to struggle early on Tuesday, for example, maybe then you turn to the big lefty.

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