Boston Red Sox: Top 3 position battles to watch during Spring Training

The Boston Red Sox, as odd as it may seem, are just over two weeks away from their first game of the regular season against the New York Yankees on April 7th. Considering how Boston has played only six Spring Training games so far (and won six games, for what it’s worth), it’s clear they have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time.

Since the conclusion of the MLB lockout, much of the focus for the Red Sox has been on free agency. Chaim Bloom and the front office risked putting together a pretty underwhleming offseason, but saved it at the last second with the signing of Trevor Story. There are still some quality pieces on the free agent market, but the dust has settled, and now it’s time to start focusing on the regular season.

Fresh off an unexpected run to the ALCS last season, the Boston Red Sox roster doesn’t look too different from the 2021 version. Many of the key pieces are still in place, and the team didn’t really add or get rid of a ton players. There was the key addition of Story, as well as the departures of Hunter Renfroe and Kyle Schwarber, but otherwise there weren’t many noteworthy moves.

Yet, while the roster looks solid as is, there are certainly some spots still up for grabs on the major league squad. That’s why Spring Training is such an important time, as it helps Alex Cora and the coaching staff get a better feel of who belongs on the major league roster and who doesn’t. With that in mind, let’s look at the three most important position battles to keep an eye on during Spring Training.