Spring training has only just started and the Boston Red Sox are days away from their first Grapefruit League game, but Alex Cora is already dropping hints about the Opening Day lineup.
Despite the crowded out field, unsettled infield and many roster cuts he'll have to make, Cora is already envisioning how his team will line up across from the Cincinnati Reds on March 26. Sox fans will note some similarities from last year's best lineups, but two new bats in Willson Contreras and Caleb Durbin will shake things up.
In his February 11 spring training press conference, Cora mentioned that Roman Anthony would be valuable anywhere in the lineup, but that he liked him in the leadoff spot last season. It's obvious why — Anthony batted .336/.439/.564 with a 1.003 OPS in 31 games batting in the first spot in the lineup.
"He was amazing for us, leading off," Cora said of Anthony. "That means he's gonna get the most at-bats out of anybody, he's that type of hitter."
Alex Cora expects to put Roman Anthony, Trevor Story, Willson Contreras and Jarren Duran at the top of the Red Sox's 2026 lineup
Cora also mentioned that Trevor Story has "earned the right" to hit at the top of the lineup after his body of work last year. He played his first full campaign with the Red Sox after multiple seasons marred by injury and he grew into the team's home run leader with 25 bombs last year.
The skipper said Jarren Duran and Contreras will also be considered for the top of the lineup. Duran's speed gives him the uncanny ability to stretch singles into doubles and groundouts into hits — if he rebounds to his 2024 production level, he'll give the top of the lineup the length it missed before Anthony's promotion last season.
Contreras has already been floated as a potential cleanup option due to his consistency and power potential. Cora didn't wait long after the Sox acquired him from the St. Louis Cardinals to make that lineup decision — the rest of the offseason showed that he was the Sox's power addition the whole time.
Durbin, Boston's newest infielder, will be an everyday player and hit lower in the lineup. He's still just a sophomore in MLB and growing into his skills, but his lack of power will keep him closer to the six spot.
Cora needs to find places for Carlos Narváez, Marcelo Mayer, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu, but spring training is still young. Anything about his lineup preferences can change before Opening Day and injuries could crop up that forces unwelcome change, but Boston has enough depth to handle things in the short-term.