FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Thirteen players from Boston’s Spring Training roster are vacating camp temporarily to join their World Baseball Classic squads, including the entire quartet (Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu) from the loaded outfield.
First baseman Willson Contreras and DH/OF Masataka Yoshida will also be out of the mix, in addition to two members of the rotation (Ranger Suárez and Brayan Bello) and an ace setup man in Garrett Whitlock.
While that will create a quieter feel in Boston’s camp, the fact is that it will give others a chance to play more prominent roles.
Here are some storylines that will come into play during the WBC exodus.
Prospects will make cameos
On Monday against the Blue Jays, the Red Sox will showcase their top two position player prospects from 2025 in shortstop Franklin Arias and mammoth slugger Justin Gonzales, who will make their Grapefruit League debuts on the big field. Neither is in big league camp, but they will highlight Monday’s list of Minor League extras.
“[Arias is] gonna start at shortstop. We’ll probably see him a lot this week,” said manager Alex Cora. “It will be good for me to see him play, and for him to be around big leaguers and playing against big leaguers. So we'll pick and choose what we want to do. There's going to be certain guys that will come [over] and they will start. They're not going to be backups.”
Campbell lone ranger in OF
Kristian Campbell’s path to making the team isn’t nearly as clear-cut as it was a year ago, when he broke camp as the starting second baseman.
This season, he is an outfielder -- one of many on the Red Sox. But for at least this week, he is the lone ranger. All of his friends have left town.
Campbell started in center field on Sunday and should be a near daily presence in the lineup while his outfield-mates are participating in international play.
Cora has said numerous times that if Campbell can regain the stroke that made him a top prospect in the game going into last season, the team can find at-bats for him. Boston’s outfield is left-handed-heavy, so Campbell’s right-handed bat could find its way to Fenway if things break right.
The derby for the fifth rotation spot
With at least three starters competing for the fifth spot in the rotation, two of them (Payton Tolle and Connelly Early) had to make their most recent outings as multi-inning relievers.
Bello (Dominican Republic) and Suárez (Venezuela) are representing two of the teams that could have prolonged runs in the Classic, so there should be multiple opportunities for Tolle and Early to get back into Cora’s Grapefruit League rotation. Johan Oviedo, also in that mix, makes his second start of the spring on Monday against the Blue Jays.
Lefty Patrick Sandoval, who didn’t pitch last season following a UCL repair, could be getting close to pitching in a game; he has thrown multiple live batting practice sessions. Righty Kutter Crawford, slowed early in camp by the flu, could also be gaining traction to make his case for a rotation spot. Crawford, who led the Sox in starts and innings two years ago, didn’t pitch last season due to multiple injuries.
Finalizing infield alignment
Trade acquisition Caleb Durbin started at second base on Sunday for the second time this spring, and Marcelo Mayer got the nod at the hot corner.
In most team workouts, Durbin has played third while Mayer has been at second base working with shortstop Trevor Story on turning double plays.
Cora would like to have this decision finalized soon, and it wouldn’t be surprising if it gets resolved this week.
Backup first baseman?
While the Red Sox have a lot of utility infield depth, they don’t have many players who have experience at first base.
With Contreras playing that position for Venezuela, Cora can see what some of his other infielders look like as potential backups.
The one position Isiah Kiner-Falefa has never played in his career? First base. That’s where he started on Sunday. Andruw Monasterio has made one career start at first, and he got action at that spot in relief of Kiner-Falefa on Sunday.
Triston Casas is a natural first baseman but won’t start the season on the active roster as he completes his rehab from a torn left patellar tendon. Typically, Romy Gonzalez would also be an option at first, but he’s another player who will open the season on the injured list due to left shoulder discomfort.