Red Sox's Dream Playoff Lineup When Roman Anthony, Adley Rutschman Return

How scary could this club become soon?

May 1, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Roman Anthony (19) bats against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We haven't seen the final form of the Boston Red Sox this season. The dream is still alive for that form to emerge right in time for October.

About six weeks ago, the playoffs seemed like a pipe dream for this Boston team, because not only were the standings not looking good, but big names like Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet were on the injured list. A miracle turnaround has been all the more miraculous because it's happened without those two, and now the 64-52 Red Sox look October-bound.

It's clearly not just Anthony and Crochet they're hoping to get back. New trade acquisitions Adley Rutschman and Curtis Mead are on the injured list too, as are infielders Trevor Story and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Do those last two even belong on an ideal playoff roster?

That's what we're here to determine. This is what our dream lineup and 26-man roster would look like if the Red Sox were to begin the playoffs on Sunday.

Lineup and bench

Jul 19, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Washington Nationals third baseman Curtis Mead (45) bats during the third inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

1. Roman Anthony LF
2. Ceddanne Rafaela CF
3. Adley Rutschman C
4. Willson Contreras 1B
5. Wilyer Abreu RF
6. Curtis Mead 2B
7. Masataka Yoshida DH
8. Caleb Durbin 3B
9. Andruw Monasterio SS

Bench:
Jarren Duran
Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Anthony Seigler
Eli White
Connor Wong

Goodness. With that many injured players back into the fold, we've got a plethora of decisions to make. Is Trevor Story really going to be left off the squad? Based on performance earlier this year, Kiner-Falefa would deserve it more, and Anthony Seigler deserves to be there, too.

That lineup feels incredible to type out, though. All nine starters could give you an incredible at-bat based on recent trends. Getting Anthony, Rutschman, and Mead all back healthy might not be an above-50% proposition, but it's also realistic enough to start dreaming.

Pitching staff

Apr 19, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

SP1: Sonny Gray
SP2: Ranger Suárez
SP3: Payton Tolle
SP4/LRP Jake Bennett
LRP: Garrett Crochet
LRP: Brayan Bello
RP: Erik Miller
RP: Jovani Morán
RP: Tyron Guerrero
RP: Justin Slaten
RP: Garrett Whitlock
CL: Aroldis Chapman

There's not much of a case to be made against any of these names being left off the list. It's essentially the best collection of talent the Red Sox can assemble as a pitching staff, and Crochet being added as a long relief (or short relief) weapon makes them all the more dangerous.