Red Sox Opening Day Roster 2026: Projected Batting Order, Pitching Rotation, Bullpen & More to Know originally appeared on NESN.
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After an aggressive winter that saw chief baseball officer Craig Breslow pivot to a pursuit of elite talent, Red Sox fans are looking at an Opening Day roster that blends returning stars with new names.
At the heart of the transformation is a lineup anchored by Roman Anthony and boosted by offseason acquisition Willson Contreras. The pitching rotation features lefty ace Garrett Crochet, who led the league with 255 strikeouts last season.
Can manager Alex Cora put all of the pieces in the right places and turn this team into a true contender?
Here’s the complete Red Sox roster, from the elite starting rotation to the promising lineup.
Red Sox Opening Day roster 2026
Pitchers
| Player | Role | Throw |
| Garrett Crochet | Starting Pitcher | L |
| Sonny Gray | Starting Pitcher | R |
| Connelly Early | Starting Pitcher | L |
| Brayan Bello | Starting Pitcher | R |
| Ranger Suarez | Starting Pitcher | L |
| Aroldis Chapman | Closer | L |
| Garrett Whitlock | Setup | R |
| Justin Slaten | Setup | R |
| Johan Oviedo | Relief | R |
| Danny Coulombe | Relief | L |
| Jovani Moran | Relief | L |
| Greg Weissert | Relief | R |
| Ryan Watson | Relief | R |
Batters
| Player | Position |
| Carlos Narvaez | C |
| Connor Wong | C |
| Willson Contreras | 1B |
| Marcelo Mayer | 2B |
| Trevor Story | SS |
| Caleb Durbin | 3B |
| Andruw Monasterio | INF |
| Isiah Kiner-Falefa | UTIL |
| Roman Anthony | LF |
| Ceddanne Rafaela | CF |
| Wilyer Abreu | RF |
| Jarren Duran | OF |
| Masataka Yoshida | DH |
Red Sox batting order
The Red Sox’s batting order to begin the season will be anchored by Roman Anthony and Jarren Duran. The starting lineup has a new look after the departures of two veterans in Rafael Devers (traded to Giants) and Alex Bregman (signed with Cubs).
| Player | Position | Bats | |
| 1 | Roman Anthony | DH | L |
| 2 | Trevor Story | SS | R |
| 3 | Jarren Duran | LF | L |
| 4 | Willson Contreras | 1B | R |
| 5 | Wilyer Abreu | RF | L |
| 6 | Caleb Durbin | 3B | R |
| 7 | Marcelo Mayer | 2B | L |
| 8 | Ceddanne Rafaela | CF | R |
| 9 | Carlos Narvaez | C | R |
Red Sox pitching rotation
Crochet is the unquestioned No. 1 starter. He joins Brayan Bello and Connelly Early as familiar faces to go along with two new acquisitions in Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray.
| Pitcher | Throw |
| Garrett Crochet | L |
| Sonny Gray | R |
| Connelly Early | L |
| Brayan Bello | R |
| Ranger Suarez | L |
Red Sox bullpen
| Player | Throw |
| Aroldis Chapman | L |
| Garrett Whitlock | R |
| Justin Slaten | R |
| Johan Oviedo | R |
| Danny Coulombe | L |
| Jovani Moran | L |
| Greg Weissert | R |
| Ryan Watson | R |
Key bench players and top prospects
| Player | Role | Bats |
| Connor Wong | C | R |
| Masataka Yoshida | DH | L |
| Isiah Kiner-Falefa | UTIL | R |
| Andruw Monasterio | INF | R |
After hitting .375/.444/.813 for Team Japan at the World Baseball Classic, Masataka Yoshida has been too hot to stay on the bench. He could find himself in the middle of trade rumors because of the outfield logjam. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is coming off a split season between the Pirates and Blue Jays in which he hit .262 with 40 RBIs.
On the prospect side, Boston has seen some of its best already graduate from the system, but it still has plenty of talent.
| Rank | Player | Position |
| 1 | Payton Tolle | LHP |
| 2 | Franklin Arias | SS |
| 3 | Connelly Early | LHP |
| 4 | Kyson Witherspoon | RHP |
| 5 | Juan Valera | RHP |
| 6 | Justin Gonzales | OF |
| 7 | Jake Bennett | LHP |
| 8 | Dorian Soto | SS |
| 9 | Marcus Phillips | RHP |
| 10 | Anthony Eyanson | RHP |
The rankings are headlined by Payton Tolle, a 6-6 pitcher who will start the season in Triple A. Tolle started 18 games in the minors in 2025, posting a 3.04 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. Franklin Arias is right behind Tolle, but don’t expect him to have significant time with the Red Sox.
Connelly Early made Boston’s Opening Day roster after appearing in four games during the regular season and one game in the playoffs.
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