The Boston Red Sox only have about three weeks to decide which 26 players will be on their roster come Opening Day, March 27.
The Sox have made their first round of roster cuts with no big surprises, but they have so much depth across the board that they have plenty of position battles to agonize over until the season starts. The highest-profile among them is the team's third base debate.
Alex Bregman has played third base in Boston's Grapefruit League games as Rafael Devers gets back on his feet after two shoulder injuries hampered him last year. The Red Sox may give Bregman the third base job full-time and move Devers to designated hitter, but that leaves a vacancy at second base with no experienced players to fill it.
Top prospect Kristian Campbell has dominated the conversation as the potential Opening Day second baseman for the Sox. But a recent report from an unnamed "veteran scout," shared by Sean McAdam of MassLive, suggests Campbell may not be ready (subscription required).
The scout said that Campbell doesn't look ready to fill in at second base if Bregman is to play third. He also said the Red Sox have been using him at different positions, like left field, which means they also may not be committed to starting him at second base on Opening Day.
Veteran scout shares thoughts on Red Sox lineup and position battles halfway through spring training
The unnamed scout also shared their thoughts on multiple other players' spring training performances, including Liam Hendriks. The righty has struggled early on in Grapefruit League action and the scout said it would "shock" them if he ends up the closer.
Hendriks has let up seven hits, one a home run, in three innings of work. The scout noted that his fastball velocity is down in the 93-94 miles per hour range and that he's not missing bats when his pitches actually land in the zone. Hendriks is fresh off Tommy John surgery and a slight decline in velocity is to be expected but won't fly in the closer spot. McAdam reports that the scout believes Justin Slaten has the best stuff of the players in Boston's closer conversation.
The scout also praised Ceddanne Rafaela and went far enough to say they're "really excited" about him. The outfielder tweaked his swing and fine-tuned his eye to improve his plate discipline to go along with his already fantastic defense. Rafaela is also right-handed, and his improved swing could give the Sox another dose of righty pop, of which they could have plenty with Bregman and Trevor Story in the lineup.
The Red Sox have said they hope to use Masataka Yoshida in the field again this year, which could limit Rafaela's workload. Yoshida would have to play left field because he doesn't have the speed to cover center field and Fenway Park's right field is notoriously difficult. The Red Sox can't bench Jarren Duran, their best player from last year, and Wilyer Abreu is fresh off a Gold Glove-winning season in right field. Boston also expects top prospect Roman Anthony to debut this year.
The position battles in the Red Sox's outfield are shaping up to rival the infield. It will be interesting to see where everyone lands and how accurate the scout's assessment of each player is when the season comes around. Regardless of how the position battles play out, the Red Sox can be confident in the amount of depth they have in the field.