On Monday, the Pink Sox gear truck will start its almost 1,500 mile drive from Boston to Fort Myers, marking the unofficial begin of the 2026 season.
With pitchers and catchers set to report subsequent week, what can followers count on within the coming weeks and months? We reply your questions in a Pink Sox mailbag.
What are reasonable expectations for each Triston Casas and Kristian Campbell on the most important league roster this yr? — @wcbosox on Bluesky
I feel each might wind up enjoying an enormous function on this group, however it’s most likely finest to maintain expectations in test in the intervening time.
The trail for Casas making an impression is pretty simple. As soon as absolutely wholesome he ought to have a possibility to earn common at-bats as a chosen hitter, and in a finest case state of affairs he might escape because the middle-of-the-order drive the Pink Sox have all the time believed he might change into.
The issue is Casas won’t be prepared for Opening Day, and even when he’s, the Pink Sox may nonetheless begin him at Triple-A to get him common enjoying time after lacking a lot of the final two years as a consequence of damage. Casas faces a roster crunch too, as a result of with 4 starting-caliber outfielders plus Masataka Yoshida, the DH spot goes to be in excessive demand.
Accidents, trades and different strikes will inevitably shake issues up, and that might assist present Casas the opening he must contribute. However I feel the most secure wager for now’s to imagine he begins the yr in Worcester.
The state of affairs with Campbell is a bit more difficult.
On one hand, Campbell has a better path to a beginning job. The Pink Sox don’t have established starters at second or third base, so till the membership makes the infield addition they’ve promised he’s most likely among the many favorites to start the season because the beginning second baseman.
However chances are high the Pink Sox will ultimately deliver another person in, and should you requested me who I feel would have the higher hand in a camp competitors between Campbell and Marcelo Mayer for the remaining infield spot, my intuition is Mayer would get the nod.
So that might additionally depart Campbell at Triple-A, which could not be a foul factor.
Speaking to Campbell and Pink Sox officers this offseason, one factor everybody can agree on is that when Campbell begins hitting once more all the pieces else will care for itself. Campbell confronted adversity final season and couldn’t preserve his head above water, however for the primary month he was one of the crucial productive rookies in MLB. Will probably be simpler for him to make the required changes in Worcester, and as soon as he does there’s no purpose why he can’t be that participant once more.
When Campbell forces the problem the Pink Sox will discover him a spot. Once more, accidents and different strikes will decide what alternatives come up. However the important thing distinction between this season and the mediocre stretch from 2022-24 is again then the Pink Sox counted on guys like Casas and Campbell to make an impression. Now they’ve time on their aspect, and if there comes a degree the place their quantity is named, the 2 must be in a significantly better place to succeed.
Infield assist. What are the choices nonetheless on the market? — @charteroak on Bluesky
So far as free company goes, there isn’t a lot.
Eugenio Suarez is the highest remaining free agent infielder and as a right-handed energy hitter he will surely bolster the membership’s lineup. The issue is he’s a poor defender who strikes out a ton, making him an imperfect match for what the group wants.
After him the following most suitable choice can be Luis Arraez, who’s fascinating in that he’s additionally an elite one-tool participant — solely hitting for contact as a substitute of energy — however equally provides little worth on protection or on the bottom paths. He additionally bats left-handed, so he wouldn’t assist stability a lineup that already skews too closely towards the left aspect.
Given the membership’s surplus in each the outfield and beginning rotation, swinging a commerce makes essentially the most sense at this level.
Over the previous few weeks the gamers mostly related to the Pink Sox have been Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes, Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner and St. Louis Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan. Of that group my choice can be Hoerner, who’s one of the best defensive second baseman in baseball and completed runner-up for the Nationwide League batting title final season.
The Cubs have an infield logjam now with Alex Bregman on board and will use pitching and outfield assist, making the Pink Sox a logical commerce companion, however Hoerner can even command a excessive value regardless of solely having one yr remaining on his contract.
If not Hoerner, Paredes makes numerous sense, too. He’s one of the best energy hitter of the trio (20 homers in 2025) but in addition does a fantastic job at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. His right-handed swing would play fantastically at Fenway Park, although he’s a under common defender and runner. Houston has an infield logjam to clear as nicely, and Paredes has two years of group management remaining.
Donovan was an All-Star final yr and might play somewhat little bit of outfield, too, however as a left-handed hitter he doesn’t make as a lot sense roster-wise. My guess is that if Chicago decides they don’t need to commerce Hoerner, Paredes can be the almost definitely commerce acquisition, although there could possibly be different much less apparent prospects as nicely.
Any of the invitees to camp pique your curiosity, so far as making the Opening Day roster? — @finleycordain on Bluesky
I don’t assume any of this yr’s non-roster invitees stand out as apparent Opening Day candidates, but when there was anyplace an invitee may need a possibility, it’s as a left-handed reliever.
Of that group there are two candidates I discover intriguing: Alec Gamboa and Jeremy Wu-Yelland.
Gamboa has by no means pitched within the majors however has spent elements of three years at Triple-A. He is also coming off a profitable season in Korea, posting a 3.58 ERA with 117 strikeouts in 108 innings for the Lotte Giants. Will that manufacturing translate now that he’s again stateside? Who can say. However with Jovani Moran and Tyler Samaniego at the moment the one lefty relievers on the 40-man in addition to nearer Aroldis Chapman, Gamboa might have a practical shot if he pitches nicely in camp.
Wu-Yelland is a longshot by comparability, however being invited to camp in itself is noteworthy.
Initially a fourth-round pick of Hawaii within the 2020 MLB Draft, Wu-Yelland missed a ton of time as a consequence of damage all through his skilled profession. He sat out all of 2022 and was restricted to simply three innings in 2023 as a consequence of Tommy John surgical procedure, and he frolicked on the IL in every of the previous two seasons as nicely. However final yr represented an enormous step ahead for the lefty, as Wu-Yelland struck out 71 batters with a 3.15 ERA in 45 2/3 innings break up between Excessive-A and Double-A.
Wu-Yelland leaping straight from Portland to the Opening Day roster most likely is unrealistic, however he’s nonetheless somebody Pink Sox followers ought to keep watch over. He’ll almost definitely begin the yr in Triple-A, however I might completely see him developing in some unspecified time in the future midseason if the bullpen wants a contemporary lefty.
If the Pink Sox don’t add an infielder, will Mikey Romero get a glance in spring coaching? — Jason C.
Of all of the non-roster invitees who will probably be in Fort Myers this spring, Romero is certainly the most important title. The previous first-round choose was taken forward of Roman Anthony within the 2022 MLB Draft and final season lastly began rounding into type after a few injury-plagued years to begin his professional profession.
All of that being stated, Romero probably received’t sniff the Opening Day roster.
Even when the Pink Sox don’t add any extra infielders, the membership continues to be nicely stocked with MLB-caliber utility gamers who’re higher suited to a bench function than Romero at this level in his profession. Say we pencil in Willson Contreras at first base, Trevor Story at shortstop and Romy Gonzalez in a job to be decided, that leaves a most of three spots for some mixture of Mayer, Campbell, Nate Eaton, David Hamilton and Nick Sogard.
Romero received’t beat out any of them, and with fewer than 200 plate appearances at Triple-A, he’s going to wish extra seasoning within the minors anyway. However between Story’s offseason camp, the Pink Sox rookie growth program and now huge league spring coaching, Romero is getting priceless expertise that ought to profit him in the long term.
Who do you assume makes an even bigger impression this season, Connelly Early or Payton Tolle? Or possibly you have got a special prospect in thoughts? — @joesox1 on X/Twitter
Of all of the prospects within the Pink Sox system I feel Early has one of the best likelihood to make an impression on this yr’s group. He’s extra skilled than Tolle and proper now has a extra well-rounded arsenal. And whereas 5 MLB begins is a tiny pattern measurement, Early posting a 3.13 ERA with 35 strikeouts and solely 5 walks in 23 innings is fairly spectacular.
To say nothing of the truth that a type of begins was the decisive Sport 3 of the America League Wild Card Sequence in Yankee Stadium.
Does that imply Early will begin the season on the Opening Day roster? My guess might be not. His promotion to the majors final fall was pushed largely by want, and with a a lot deeper beginning rotation the Pink Sox will most likely begin him off at Triple-A, the place he solely made six begins earlier than his MLB call-up.
That being stated, whereas one in every of Johan Oviedo, Kutter Crawford or Patrick Sandoval are the almost definitely candidates to begin the season because the No. 5 starter, it’s not loopy to think about Early could possibly be so good in camp that he can’t be denied. Both approach, accidents are part of trendy baseball and in some unspecified time in the future the Pink Sox might want to fill a gap, so when that occurs count on Early to be one of many first males up, and if final yr was any indication he might take that chance and run with it.
