FORT MYERS, Fla. — With spring coaching video games formally underway, we’ve lastly gotten an opportunity to see the 2026 Purple Sox take the sector and showcase what they will do.
Who has stood out by way of the primary week of Grapefruit League play? And who has taken a step again? Right here’s a take a look at the place issues stand heading into the weekend.
Three up
Connelly Early, LHP
The competitors for Boston’s No. 5 starter job is a great distance from being determined, however Connelly Early has put himself in a terrific spot.
This previous Monday the rookie left-hander regarded sharp in his spring debut, throwing two scoreless, hitless innings whereas permitting one stroll with one strikeout in opposition to the Tampa Bay Rays. Early’s velocity was a tick up from the place it sat on the finish of 2025 — noteworthy provided that it was simply his first begin of the spring — and he was extremely environment friendly, throwing 18 of his 27 pitches for strikes.
Early has additionally placed on 15 kilos of muscle this winter, which he and the membership hope will enable him to take care of that elevated velocity deeper into video games and into the season.
Has Early turn out to be the frontrunner to make the Opening Day rotation? The rookie faces stiff competitors and doubtless nonetheless has a greater probability of beginning in Worcester than Boston, however after ending final 12 months as one of many membership’s finest accessible starters, he’s executed the whole lot he can do show he nonetheless belongs.
Jarren Duran, OF
4 video games is a tiny pattern measurement, but it surely’s arduous to not get enthusiastic about what Jarren Duran has been ready to take action far.
Via his first 4 video games Duran has gone 5 for 10 (.500) with two doubles, two walks and two strikeouts. He hit each doubles in his spring debut, and Friday he took former Purple Sox ace Chris Sale deep with a 409-feet house run to the fitting subject bleachers.
That was notably encouraging provided that Duran solely batted .211 with a .600 OPS in opposition to lefties final season.
Duran will quickly go away to affix Group Mexico within the World Baseball Basic, so he’ll get some alternatives to showcase his abilities in a way more intense environment than what’s accessible on a typical day at JetBlue Park.
Willson Contreras, 1B
Might Willson Contreras be the right-handed energy bat the Purple Sox had been searching for in any case? His profession energy totals might not soar off the web page, however there may be good motive to imagine he is perhaps in line for an enormous season at Fenway.
Living proof, his house run on Tuesday.
With two outs within the backside of the fifth Contreras drove an opposite-field rocket 385 ft to proper middle subject for a two-run house run. You not often see right-handed hitters going deep to that a part of the park, and definitely not clearing the Purple Sox bullpen, so Contreras with the ability to try this inside the first week of spring video games is a good signal.
Three down
Johan Oviedo, RHP
Johan Oviedo ought to most likely nonetheless be thought of the frontrunner for the No. 5 rotation spot, however this primary week positively hasn’t gone nice.
First, Oviedo endured a rocky first outing on Wednesday by which he walked three batters over 1 2/3 innings, a efficiency Alex Cora described as “erratic.”
Then, it got here to mild that Oviedo wasn’t feeling nicely and wound up lacking the subsequent two days of exercises with an sickness.
Perhaps that is only a bump within the street, however contemplating that Oviedo nonetheless has minor league choices remaining, his place on the depth chart is in no way safe.
Payton Tolle, LHP
Whereas Early regarded sharp in his spring debut, Payton Tolle’s first two outings haven’t gone as easily.
Tolle’s debut final Saturday went superb. He had one strikeout over two innings with no walks, and the one harm he allowed was a solo house run to Minnesota’s Royce Lewis. Cora was completely satisfied together with his displaying, however Tolle felt he could have done better.
However the rookie’s second look on Thursday was much rockier. Tolle got here on within the sixth and allowed two runs on three hits over 1 2/3 innings. He additionally hit two batters and gave up a leadoff double to begin his outing.
One silver lining that did come out of the week is Tolle was challenged to place collectively a USA-themed clubhouse presentation and knocked it out of the park. No matter his eventual function winds up being, his place as a fan-favorite is all however assured.
Brendan Rodgers, 2B
With Romy Gonzalez prone to begin the season on the injured record, there may be probably a gap on the Purple Sox bench. As a former Gold Glove winner with seven years of huge league expertise, Brendan Rodgers appeared to have nearly as good an opportunity as anybody to seize it for himself.
However Rodgers has steadily battled accidents all through his profession, and it seems to be as if he’s been bitten by the damage bug once more.
Rodgers left Wednesday’s recreation with a proper shoulder damage suffered after reaching for the ball following a diving cease. The second baseman underwent an MRI on Thursday, and whereas the crew remains to be awaiting the outcomes, the damage will most certainly take Rodgers out of the working for an Opening Day job if he’s pressured to overlook any prolonged time frame.
