Truck Day marks the unofficial start of Red Sox spring training, and on Monday the Red Sox’s equipment truck began its journey to Fort Myers, Fla., with 20,400 baseballs, 1,100 bats, 200 batting gloves and helmets, hundreds of uniforms and 60 cases of sunflower seeds. It will arrive at JetBlue Park later this week, and shortly afterwards the Red Sox players will follow suit to begin preparations for the upcoming 2025 season.

So what should fans expect over the coming weeks? The Herald’s Red Sox beat writers, Gabrielle Starr and Mac Cerullo, discuss.

Mac Cerullo: Today we’re making spring training predictions, so why don’t we start with the big picture. What’s the No. 1 storyline Sox fans should watch in camp this year?

Gabrielle Starr: First and foremost, I think it’s important to remind everyone that spring training is a time for experimenting, especially early on, when the Red Sox will be trying out players at different positions and tinkering with the lineup. These games don’t count, and it’s not the end of the world if things aren’t going smoothly at first! I say this because the biggest storyline is probably top prospects Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell. They’re two of the most promising young talents in the entire minor leagues, and they have a chance to make the Opening Day roster. However, a number of factors – some beyond their control, such as the health of other players at their position – will play into that decision. It’s also a very important preseason for fellow top prospect Marcelo Mayer, who’s lost a lot of time to injuries over the last couple of years. Do you agree, or have you identified a storyline that feels even bigger?

MC: That’s clearly the big one. Anthony or Campbell earning a spot on the Opening Day roster would be a huge deal, and their performance over the course of spring training will probably be the most closely watched story on a day-to-day basis. But beyond that, I think the other main storyline is the pitching staff. Right now the Red Sox have six proven MLB starters. How’s that going to work? Will the club opt for a six-man rotation? Will anyone get hurt? It’ll be fascinating to see how the staff comes together.

MC: The starting rotation will be one major area of competition, but it won’t be the only one. Any position battles you’re most excited to see play out?

GS: Definitely the infield, especially second base. The Red Sox have considered outside options such as third basemen Alex Bregman and Nolan Arenado, either of whom would cause a big infield shakeup, but they haven’t brought anyone in. Second base is therefore up for grabs, with Vaughn Grissom and David Hamilton among the contenders. The outfield could also get interesting, with Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Jarren Duran all being excellent centerfielders and Masataka Yoshida slated to return to playing defense after his shoulder injury forced a season-long move to designated hitter last year.

MC: We’ll see how that goes. Personally I’m curious to see how the bullpen comes together. There will be a ton of guys competing for the last few spots, and the closer job is up for grabs too. Can Liam Hendriks get back to being the All-Star he was with the White Sox before his health woes? What about Aroldis Chapman and Justin Slaten? Nothing is settled, and that’ll make for some exciting competition.

GS: It feels like every year, there’s one or two players who have scorching-hot preseasons. I remember that happening with Sam Travis; he was a career .308 hitter in spring training, and had six homers during Sox Spring ‘18. Bobby Dalbec hit seven homers during the ‘21 preseason. I feel like Grissom could be the guy this year. After missing most of last season due to injury and a demotion to Triple-A, he’s coming into camp with a lot to prove. Fans were really hard on Grissom – especially with his trade counterpart, Chris Sale, winning the NL Cy Young – but Alex Cora speaks very highly of him and said this year should be a clean slate.

MC: Something that struck me while I was combing through the roster is the Red Sox really don’t have many camp bodies this year. Usually you’ve got a bunch of unheralded minor leaguers filling in the gaps, and one of them typically goes crazy like Ryan Fitzgerald or Mark Contreras the past few years. But this year’s non-roster position players are basically the Big Three, three catchers and two others with big league experience. So in the spirit of the season, I’m going with Abraham Toro. He’ll be a long-shot to make the Opening Day roster but he’s got six years of MLB experience and seems like the kind of guy who could get hot and win some fans over before the roster cuts begin.

MC: So this is a weird one because technically Anthony, Campbell and Mayer are all non-roster invitees, so why don’t we put them to the side and focus on the other guys. Are there any traditional non-roster contenders who might have a shot at cracking the Opening Day roster?

GS: Aside from Connor Wong, who seems set to be the everyday backstop for a while now that Kyle Teel has been traded, the big-league catching situation is very fluid. Veteran catcher Seby Zavala, signed to a minor-league deal earlier this offseason, will be an interesting candidate to track this spring. I’m also very interested to see how the non-roster pitchers fare. The Red Sox waited on the injury-riddled erstwhile top prospect Bryan Mata all last season, before finally designating for assignment, non-tendering, and bringing him back on a minor-league deal last November. Michael Fulmer is clearly the most interesting case, though.

MC: Fulmer is the one that stands out most to me. He’s a former Rookie of the Year and All-Star, so clearly he’s the most accomplished of the bunch and theoretically has the highest ceiling. But he also spent all of last season rehabbing from elbow surgery, so it’s anyone’s guess how he’ll look. I don’t think it’s realistic to expect him to start, but he could conceivably emerge as another multi-inning option in the vein of Garrett Whitlock or Josh Winckowski. If the Red Sox wind up carrying six starting pitchers then having someone else like that in the bullpen could give the group a boost.

GS: The Red Sox will win the Chairman’s Cup over the Minnesota Twins! Not that it counts for anything, but I always enjoy the little spring training tradition with their Fort Myers neighbors. What’s yours?

MC: Much like Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu last year, Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell will lead the team in Grapefruit League plate appearances as they compete for a spot on the big league roster.