The Red Sox spent the 2026 season chasing more thunder, and the need is still there as Boston turns toward 2027. The difference now is that the lineup has already changed in a meaningful way. Adley Rutschman is in the mix after arriving ahead of the trade deadline, and No. 1 prospect Franklin Arias is pressing his way toward the majors after a 25-homer minor league season in 2026.
That’s the backdrop for a projected Opening Day lineup that includes one outside addition: Seiya Suzuki of the Cubs. And if Boston is going to take a real step forward offensively, this is the kind of swing that makes sense.
The top of the order shouldn’t surprise anyone. In Game 1 of the wild-card series, Boston used these three hitters at the top, with Anthony serving as the designated hitter.
He had to leave that playoff series early, but there’s still plenty of time before 2027 for him to get back on track. Rutschman, meanwhile, brings the kind of bat the Red Sox badly need to keep building around.
He’s a three-time All-Star, a Silver Slugger Award winner, and a career .252 hitter with four seasons of at least 13 home runs. He’s also posted two seasons with 19 or more homers, and Fenway Park figures to suit him well.
Suzuki is the clear power injection in the middle of the lineup. Boston has been looking for exactly this kind of production, and his recent numbers explain why.
He hit 26 home runs and drove in 86 runs in 2026, then went for 32 homers and 103 RBIs in 2025. That’s the sort of right-handed force the Red Sox need to add, and the projection here has Boston choosing him over Randy Arozarena, in part because he’s expected to come at a lower cost.
Money matters, too. The Red Sox can spend, but there’s a bigger picture at play, especially with Rutschman just 28 years old and a year away from free agency.
The idea here is that Boston may want to preserve room to try to keep him long term. Arozarena and Suzuki are both set to hit the market and will be 32 when 2027 opens, so the Red Sox have to balance adding outside help with protecting what they already have.
Arias is the other major change in the projected lineup, and his arrival would bring another right-handed bat with real pop. He hit 25 home runs and drove in 91 runs in the minors in 2026, and his path to the majors appears close.
Some might question Story’s spot as well, but the source points to what he showed late in the season and in 2025 when healthy. He’s under contract for one more year before a 2028 club option, and he’s due $25 million in 2027.
Barring a trade, he’s expected to be there.
The result is a lineup that leans heavily right-handed, though there would still be left-handed options available off the bench. For Boston, that might be the formula that finally gives this offense a different edge.
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Red Sox Outfield Logjam Is Setting Up A Tough Winter Decision
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Durans recent production has dipped from the level he reached in earlier seasons, which only adds to the sense that his path in Boston is not as straightforward as it once looked. Moving him could ease the congestion in the outfield and create room for other players to emerge, but it would also mean weighing a former trade target against the value he still holds on the market, including the kind of framework that previously linked him to San Diego prospect Ethan Salas. [Read more 🡒]