The Boston Red Sox are a mostly-young team that experienced little roster turnover from 2025-26, but while their spring training roster battles were fought around the periphery of the starting nine, they were still tight races.
Boston on March 23 finalized some bench and backup roles before Opening Day to solidify the position player group on its 26-man roster. Nate Eaton and Mickey Gasper were optioned to minor league camp and Matt Thaiss has been reassigned, according to a release from the Red Sox.
Eaton's move to the minor leagues leaves Andruw Monasterio as the infield bench bat on the Sox's Opening Day roster. He and Eaton were the main competitors for the position all spring and both put up a great fight to earn the job.
Monasterio batted .300/.383/.425 with three extra-base hits, six RBI, nine strikeouts and five walks over 17 spring training appearances. Eaton slashed .281/.324/.406 with three extra-base hits, four RBI, nine strikeouts and two walks over 12 Grapefruit League outings, plus a great, four-game performance for Team Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic.
Red Sox send Nate Eaton, Matt Thaiss to minor leagues, leaving final Opening Day position player spots to Andruw Monasterio, Connor Wong
If there's an injury in the Red Sox's infield — maybe even in the outfield — Eaton could be one of the first players they call. Manager Alex Cora hyped him up early in spring training, he's defensively versatile and always a threat on the bases.
Thaiss was in the mix for Boston's backup catcher role alongside Connor Wong. Wong posted one of the roughest offensive seasons fans will ever see last season (.190/.262/.238 slash line, eight doubles, seven RBI 16 walks and 42 strikeouts over 63 games) and Thaiss could've been a solid replacement.
Thaiss logged four hits, two runs, an RBI, seven strikeouts and five walks over 12 Grapefruit League appearances. The veteran has an upward mobility clause on his contract, meaning that the Red Sox would have to offer him up to any other teams, if any, willing to give him a roster spot. Thaiss has opted to remain with the Red Sox organization in Triple-A Worcester, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.
Gasper is another backup catching option who was sent down to the minor leagues to begin the season. He posted a solid spring training with 10 hits, including two homers and a double, seven RBI, three strikeouts and five walks over 16 spring training appearances. He and Thaiss will be the depth catching options if a big league catcher falls injured or if Wong struggles severely again — he still has a minor league option on his contract.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Masataka Yoshida will join Monasterio and Wong on Boston's Opening Day bench. The Red Sox will have to either trade or option one of them when Romy Gonzalez is healthy and ready to join the roster after his recovery from shoulder surgery he underwent on March 12.
Rule 5 Draft pick Ryan Watson earns Red Sox bullpen spot, Tyler Samaniego optioned to Triple-A
There are only a few reliever spots remaining after one has officially gone to Ryan Watson (per Cotillo), a 2025 Rule 5 Draft pick. He let up seven runs on 12 hits with seven strikeouts and three walks across nine appearances this spring. His ERA was severely driven up by an ugly, four-run outing on March 2, but he posted an otherwise solid spring.
Boston also optioned lefty reliever and former Pittsburgh Pirate Tyler Samaniego to Triple-A. He posted 5.1 one-hit innings with five strikeouts over five outings in Grapefruit League play. If the Red Sox hadn't signed lefty Danny Coulombe on March 12, Samaniego might've made the roster, but they already have three great lefty options for their bullpen with Jovani Morán and Aroldis Chapman in the mix.
The Red Sox still haven't confirmed the fifth starter in their rotation, although most insiders and reporters believe it'll go to Johan Oviedo over top prospects Payton Tolle and Connelly Early.