Red Sox vs Rays spring training: How to watch, TV channel, live stream

Red Sox vs Rays in a nationally televised spring training game

It’s the first Perez Day of the spring as Martin Perez takes the mound for the Boston Red Sox against the division rival Tampa Bay Rays.

Perez was the most consistent starter on the Red Sox staff last season. While reinforcements will relegate him to a role near the back of the rotation this season, Perez will be relied on for quality innings. The lefty re-signed with the Red Sox this winter after his club option had been declined and he’s clearly excited to be staying in Boston.

Another reason to be excited is that fans can actually watch today’s game. The limited number of televised spring training games has been a source of frustration this year. Monday’s home opener was broadcast on NESN but the network won’t be airing another game until the weekend.

Fans can still watch Tuesday’s game against the Rays, as long as they know where to tune in, so we’re here to provide all the information you need to find today’s nationally televised event.

Red Sox vs Rays

Date: Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Time: 1:05 p.m. EST
Stadium: JetBlue Park
Location: Fort Myers, FL
TV Channel: ESPN
Live Stream: Watch ESPN

Since this game will be televised nationally on ESPN, it’s scheduled for a full nine innings rather than the seven-inning contests that we’ve seen so far this spring. It will be interesting to see if either team ends an inning prematurely when their pitcher reaches 20+ pitches, as we’ve seen a few times early this spring. Managers don’t want to tax their pitchers too much this early in camp but ESPN might push for the teams to play this as a standard game given the wider audience.

Red Sox lineup notes

Spring training lineups often sprinkle in a few prospects and fringe players battling for a roster spot but there are still several familiar faces starting this afternoon. The versatile Kike Hernandez fills in at shortstop while Xander Bogaerts recovers from a sore shoulder. J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers anchor the middle of the lineup followed by newcomer Hunter Renfroe..

One of the more interesting position battles in camp is between four infielders vying for a limited number of bench spots. The Red Sox are considering opening the season with only three bench players so they can load up their pitching staff. One of those bench roles goes to the backup catcher, which leaves Christian Arroyo, Michael Chavis, Yairo Munoz, and Jonathan Arauz competing for the final two spots. The former started Monday’s game at shortstop while the latter three are all in today’s lineup.

The Red Sox have dropped each of their first two spring training games but the outcome doesn’t matter nearly as much as the work the players are putting in to prepare for when the games actually count. Still, it would be nice to see the Red Sox get a win to build some momentum, especially since it will be a few days before fans can expect to watch them play on TV again.