While the Red Sox could still make more additions before Opening Day, at this point the roster for 2025 has largely come into focus.
One thing that’s clear, the Red Sox have plenty of pieces to work with in the infield, but also no shortage of moving parts.
Four of the club’s five starters at catcher and in the infield are expected to return, but who ultimately grabs the second base job and the reserve spots behind them will likely be major storylines to follow once spring training begins. So who currently looks like a factor and where do they stand today? Here’s a look at everyone who will be competing for spots in the Red Sox infield.
For our purposes, Ceddanne Rafaela will be included with the outfielders even though he could factor into the infield equation as well.
With Kyle Teel no longer a member of the organization, Wong is the clear No. 1 on the Red Sox catching depth chart and should remain so for the foreseeable future. Wong will see the majority of the action at catcher and currently stands as one of Boston’s top right-handed hitters. His defense still needs a lot of work, but Wong figures to play a key role in this upcoming season.
Acquired from the Giants earlier this winter, Sabol figures to compete with Carlos Narvaez for Boston’s backup catcher job. Sabol has two things working in his favor. One, he’s a left-handed hitter, which would allow Alex Cora to set up a platoon with Wong. Two, he has two years of MLB experience, considerably more than Narvaez, who’s only appeared in six games. Those factors would seem to give Sabol an edge heading into camp, but …
One advantage Narvaez has is his defense and framing abilities. By all accounts he is excellent in those areas, and considering that those are two of Wong’s biggest weaknesses it’s not a stretch to imagine Narvaez could play his way onto the roster with a big showing in camp. He’s also hit well in winter ball this offseason and consistently drawn rave reviews from both the Red Sox and his former team, the Yankees, so he’ll be one to watch as spring training picks up in a couple of weeks.
Fully healthy after missing two-thirds of last season with a rib injury, Casas should be the clearcut No. 1 option at first base and potentially in line for a massive breakout season at the plate. Casas hit 13 homers in just 63 games despite his injuries, which would equate to 33 over a full 162-game season. Expect him to push for that and more in 2025.
Will this be the year Story finally stays healthy? The Red Sox have been a different team with Story on the field since his arrival in 2022, going 85-78 with him in the lineup and 152-171 without him. The shortstop is a game-changer defensively and could potentially be the impact right-handed hitter the club needs, but at this point his availability can’t be taken as a given.
Despite battling through injury the entire season, Devers still appeared in 138 games and hit 28 home runs with an .871 OPS. The luxury of having a player like Devers is you can pencil him in for close to 30 homers per year with consistent everyday production at third base, and there’s no reason to expect any different this year.
Originally acquired to be the club’s second baseman of the future, Grissom endured one setback after another in a lost 2024. Can he get his career back on track? If healthy, and barring any further offseason additions, Grissom should at least have an opportunity to compete for the starting second base job. Though he’ll face stiff competition because …
Campbell has emerged as not just one of the fastest rising prospects in the Red Sox system, but across all of minor league baseball. In less than a year the 22-year-old went from a relative nobody to a top-five prospect regarded by some evaluators as a talent of historic proportions. Whether it’s at second base or in some other role, Campbell will compete for an Opening Day spot and will be one of the Red Sox’s most intriguing players to watch once camp begins.
Another contender for the second base job, Hamilton stole 33 bases as a rookie last year and demonstrated some impressive flashes, though not consistently enough to establish himself as an everyday regular. Cora said recently that Hamilton will also see time in the outfield, which could help him remain a factor in the majors even if he’s squeezed out at second base.
Gonzalez was quietly an excellent pickup for the Red Sox last offseason, providing the club with a right-handed utility player who could contribute just about anywhere on the diamond. That includes first base, where Gonzalez appears to be the top candidate to back up Casas barring any further additions.
Sogard will almost certainly start the season in Triple-A, but he can play all over the field and would likely be among the first players called up if the club had any holes to plug.
Though not expected to make the big league club out of camp, Mayer remains one of the top prospects in baseball and will almost certainly make his long awaited MLB debut at some point this coming season. If he plays well at Triple-A and an opportunity presents itself in Boston, don’t be surprised if he becomes a factor as early as Memorial Day.