Red Sox Opening Day 2017: 25-man roster breakdown

Sep 13, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts (50) and his teammates take the field before their game against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 13, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts (50) and his teammates take the field before their game against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
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While a few key pieces remain sidelined by injury, here are the 25 players expected to begin the season with the Boston Red Sox.

Sep 13, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts (50) and his teammates take the field before their game against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 13, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts (50) and his teammates take the field before their game against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Enjoy the weekend, on Monday we go to work. With Opening Day nearly upon us, the Boston Red Sox have made their final roster cuts to trim their player pool from camp down to the 25 men that they will begin the regular season with.

These aren’t necessarily the same 25 players that they will end the season with. A number of valuable cogs in the Red Sox machine are still recovering from various injuries, particularly on a pitching staff that seemed to encounter a new setback each week throughout spring training.

Those players will eventually make their triumphant returns, while in the meantime others will need to step up. Injuries create opportunities, leading to a few surprises on the Opening Day roster.

A long road awaits between now and October, so roster changes can be expected along the way. Prospects will get called up, trades may even get made. Predicting what this Red Sox team will look like by the time they are (hopefully) preparing for a postseason run is a discussion for another day. For now, the focus is on the 25 players that will be in Boston when the season kicks off at Fenway Park in two days.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, there are the players that the Red Sox expect to open the season with.

Schedule