The Red Sox have nearly hit the season’s one-third mark, and in the coming days they’ll wrap up this week’s extended west coast road trip and return to Fenway to kick off the summer slate.

Sounds like as good a time as any to empty the mailbag.

Today we’ll cover some early trade speculation, possible offseason moves and how the Red Sox are going to deal with their impending roster crunch as the club starts getting healthier.

I wanted to get your take on what the Sox should do when Adam Duvall returns. In my opinion, Jarren Duran has played his way as the starting center fielder and should not have to relinquish his spot to Duvall. Given the current batting average of (Triston) Casas, can he and Duvall platoon and perhaps Duvall DH once or twice a week? — Jeff P.

It speaks to how good Duran has been that anyone has this kind of sentiment, since the last time we saw Duvall he was in the midst of an epic hot streak with four home runs and 14 RBI in his first eight games with the club. It is a great question though, and also a great problem for the Red Sox to have.

Short answer, I think when Duvall is activated he’ll get his job in center field back, and I don’t see a larger everyday shakeup in the picture. Moving Masataka Yoshida or Alex Verdugo out of their corner outfield spots isn’t an option, and the Red Sox are already sort of doing the first base platoon you suggested with Casas and Justin Turner. Plus, taking more at-bats away from Casas would only stunt his development, and while his batting average on the season still isn’t good he’s been better in May and leads the Red Sox in walks.

As for Duran, I think when the time comes he will probably go back to Worcester so he can continue getting regular playing time. You can talk yourself into all kinds of roster contortions, but at the end of the day when Duvall comes back the Red Sox would have six outfielders, including two left-handed bats off the bench.

That just isn’t workable, and while there’s no doubt Duran has earned his place in the big leagues, he’s not at a point in his career where he’d be well served getting only sporadic at-bats per week. It would be better for everyone involved to stick with Raimel Tapia in that pinch-hitter/runner bench role and for Duran to stay ready for his next opportunity, whether it comes due to an injury, a trade or some other unforeseen development, or for when rosters expand in September.

Do you see James Paxton as a July trade candidate, barring some unbelievable run by the Red Sox? He’s almost 35, massive injury risk, rental, tradable contract, likely not part of plans beyond ’23 and the Sox have young options they could slot into the rotation. — Sammy J.

I think it’s far too early to draw any kind of conclusions about James Paxton and his future with the Red Sox, but based on what we’ve seen so far, no, definitely not.

For one, the Red Sox aren’t likely to be sellers at the trade deadline. As of this writing they are only 2.5 games back of the last AL Wild Card spot, close enough where it wouldn’t require an “unbelievable run” to get above the cut line. It might just take one good week.

If they are in a similar place by late July then wouldn’t they owe it to themselves to add an impact arm, not send one away?

Beyond that, Paxton has so far been about as good as the Red Sox could have realistically hoped for after basically missing three years due to injury. In his first two starts back he allowed three runs over 11 innings, struck out 14 and only walked three. Yes, Wednesday night’s outing was a step back, but after so long away some hiccups are to be expected.

Let’s say the Red Sox did put him on the market. Would Paxton have a lot of trade value? Probably not, for all of the reasons you listed, so as things stand he’s most valuable to the club pitching in the starting rotation. And if he gets hurt or turns into a pumpkin then the Red Sox can adjust accordingly. They could always move Corey Kluber, Nick Pivetta or Kutter Crawford back into the rotation

Do you think the Red Sox will extend Alex Verdugo? If so how many years and at what price? — Champ

This is an interesting question that will depend a lot on how Verdugo finishes the season. If he puts together an All-Star campaign and hits the way he did through the first six weeks all the way to the end, then yes, I think working out an extension will become a priority. If he tails off, there won’t be nearly as much urgency on the club’s part.

As things stand, Verdugo is due to become a free agent after the 2024 season, and Red Sox fans know well how important the offseason leading into a player’s walk year is. This past offseason the Red Sox reached a long-term agreement with Rafael Devers, but not long ago Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi were both traded after the two sides couldn’t reach a deal.

Let’s say Verdugo’s strong start is sustainable and he really is approaching All-Star caliber. What might he command on the market?

Benintendi is actually a useful comp because he just hit free agency this past offseason and has had a similar career trajectory as Verdugo. Through their age 26 seasons the two had similar career slash lines (.286/.341/.431 for Verdugo, .274/.347/.437 for Benintendi), though Benintendi had 12.7 career wins above replacement while Verdugo just 8.5.

That being said, Verdugo has shown great improvement in all phases of the game this season and is on pace to enjoy a better Year 7 than Benintendi did. If that continues and Verdugo finishes the season strong that would presumably give him more negotiating leverage with the Red Sox front office this winter.

Benintendi just got five years, $75 million from the Chicago White Sox. Would Verdugo take that deal if the Red Sox extended the same offer? It’s possible, but if Verdugo can get that kind of money now, he could also be willing to bet on himself and try to play his way into an even bigger deal next year.

Which rookie call-up are you most impressed with, and why? — Justin

The Red Sox have gotten a lot of production from their young talent, and the strides made by guys like Jarren Duran and Josh Winckowski have been highly encouraging. But strictly relative to expectations I don’t think you can say enough about the job Enmanuel Valdez has done.

To be frank, Valdez isn’t supposed to be here. With Trevor Story, Christian Arroyo and Yu Chang all on the injured list and no other middle infielders with MLB experience available on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox basically promoted Valdez because they didn’t have any other choice. He wasn’t even off to a good start in Triple-A, batting .184 through his first 14 games, but since being called up he’s more than validated the Red Sox trust.

So far through 23 big league games Valdez has batted .273 with three home runs, four doubles, 10 RBI and a .794 OPS, and his three-run homer last Saturday in San Diego was the difference in that night’s 4-2 win. It’s not a huge sample size, but it’s not a tiny one either. Valdez can really hit.

Has the defense been an adventure at times? Yes. Is Valdez likely to be sent back down once the club starts getting healthy again? Most likely. But given the circumstances Valdez has greatly exceeded expectations and deserves a lot of credit for holding down the fort at second base.

Is there any hope that the Red Sox will make an aggressive move to bring Shohei Ohtani to Boston? — Bruce

Hope is the operative word, right?

Shohei Ohtani would be the ultimate addition. How often do you have a chance to sign one guy who can both serve as your ace and a middle of the order slugger? Even if he comes with a historic price tag, the Red Sox would owe it to themselves to at least try to bring him to Boston when he hits free agency this offseason.

Could it happen? Recent history gives plenty of reason for pessimism, but the Red Sox are now at a point in their competitive cycle where a big outside splash makes a lot more sense.

The Red Sox have already spent big bucks to extend Rafael Devers, and as Chaim Bloom said at Winter Weekend, when you make an investment like that you want to be able to maximize the early years of the deal and surround that player with enough talent to win right away.

The club’s latest wave of young talent is also reaching the majors, with Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck and Brayan Bello all now getting the chance to lock down spots in the starting rotation long-term. If they can prove their mettle the Red Sox would have the core of their rotation set on incredibly team-friendly terms for the next few years.

So you tell me. Would it make sense adding Ohtani to a rotation that includes those three plus Chris Sale, and also to a lineup anchored by Devers, Trevor Story, Masataka Yoshida and Alex Verdugo? If the Red Sox fancy themselves serious championship contenders they shouldn’t shy away from the kind of aggressive moves we’ve seen from their rivals in recent years if it means getting over the hump.

I’m not saying it’s going to happen, and I’m not even saying it’s likely, but yes, there is hope.