On February 20, the Boston Red Sox will open their spring training slate with their annual exhibition game against Northeastern University. First pitch will be at 1:05 p.m. at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers. The lineup confirms a few things the Red Sox reported in advance.
A few days before the game, Boston skipper Alex Cora shared that top righty pitching prospect Tyler Uberstine would get the start against the Huskies. The Red Sox added Uberstine, 26, to the 40-man roster over the winter to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. He posted a 3.58 ERA with 137 strikeouts and 41 walks over 120.2 innings between Double-A and Triple-A in 2025.
The Red Sox also shared that Yoshida will play in their first two spring training games before he leaves camp to practice with Team Japan before the World Baseball Classic. Despite his questionable fit with the Red Sox at the moment, Cora described him as "part of the solution" and as one of the best hitters on the team. He'll bat second against the Huskies.
Still, he's by far the best player in the lineups he'll kick off spring training with, which may not be a great sign for the designated hitter/outfielder. Few of the players who will get the start against Northeastern will make the Opening Day roster and Yoshida could be no exception.
Masataka Yoshida stands out in Red Sox's first spring training lineup against Northeastern
We have ourselves a lineup! pic.twitter.com/C08nCU05kd
— Red Sox (@RedSox) February 20, 2026
Yoshida is also quite a slow starter, so the Red Sox could be trying to get him as many at-bats as possible before the season starts in just over a month. This will help Boston see if it needs to make room for him on the Opening Day roster or if it can trade him before the season starts. Yoshida would have to agree to be optioned to the minor leagues, and given his recent comments about his tenure with Boston missing his expectations, he could very well decline the move.
Nate Eaton and Kristian Campbell are the only other players in Boston's February 20 lineup who have played in the major leagues. Both could make the Opening Day roster in a bench role to start the season, but it'd take a good spring to earn them the spots. Eaton and Campbell will bat first and third, respectively.
Campbell will take center field against Northeastern after Craig Breslow mentioned over the winter that he pictures the 23-year-old as more of an outfielder than an infielder. He struggled defensively at second base in the major leagues, and now he'll get the chance to flash his skills on the grass.
Nathan Hickey, Mikey Romero, Vinny Capra, Tsung-Che Cheng, Allan Castro and Ronald Rosario will follow in the lineup. Hickey, Romero, Capra and Cheng could be used as big league depth at some point in the season. Castro, an outfielder, and Rosario, a catcher, ended last season in Double-A.
Pitching prospects Jeremy Wu-Yelland (LHP), Noah Song (RHP) and Wyatt Olds (RHP) will follow Uberstine on the mound.