The Red Sox are closing in on a postseason berth, and with the magic number down to three, the bigger question is what Boston’s playoff roster will look like once the games really matter.
That’s where things get messy. The roster expands from 26 to 28 on Sep. 1, but playoff teams go right back down to 26 for the Wild Card round.
That means Boston is already staring at two tough cuts before it even starts factoring in injured players who could return before Sep. 29.
With that kind of squeeze, a few veterans look vulnerable.
Justin Weissert is one of them. He’s been usable this year, posting a 3.45 ERA in 61 appearances, but the bullpen picture is getting crowded fast.
Tyron Guerrero is about to be activated, and that move is expected to push Raymond Burgos off the roster. On top of that, Garrett Crochet and Tanner Houck could both be options by the time the playoffs begin.
If both return, Boston will have to make more hard calls, and Weissert could be caught in the numbers game with Alec Gamboa, who has a 1.21 ERA in 19 outings, and Wyatt Olds, who has a 1.23 ERA in 12 appearances.
Connor Wong is in a similar spot. He’s been better this season than he was last year, but Boston already has Adley Rutschman as the main catcher.
That leaves a real question about whether Wong is worth carrying alongside Mickey Gasper. The cleaner roster move may be to keep Gasper as the emergency backup catcher and use Wong’s spot somewhere else.
Bichette Monasterio has also done solid work for Boston, but his path gets blocked by the roster squeeze too. He can handle multiple infield spots, yet the Red Sox have other players who can fill that role, and Monasterio hasn’t been scorching at the plate.
Jarren Duran is the name that would raise the most eyebrows if he ended up on the outside looking in, but even he has to be part of the discussion. Ceddanne Rafaela should be back in the coming days, and that likely means Nate Eaton gets optioned.
That would leave Boston with Rafaela, Duran, Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu as the four outfielders, plus Jahmai Jones as a lefty specialist. Jones would seem to have a strong case to make the roster because of that role.
Boston could line things up a few different ways. One option would be Duran in left, Rafaela in center, Abreu in right and Anthony as the designated hitter.
Another would be Anthony in left with Gasper or Jones at DH. How the Red Sox sort out that alignment will shape the rest of the roster decisions.
There’s also Braiden Ward, whose speed has become part of the conversation after swiping 60 bases in Triple-A. If Duran isn’t in the everyday lineup during a playoff series, the Red Sox may have to decide whether they want his speed or Ward’s. Duran should be on the roster in theory, but his struggles at the plate this season mean Boston at least has a real debate on its hands.
In Other News...
Red Sox Trade Is Starting To Look More Complicated Than Fans Thought
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For the Red Sox, that shifting value matters because this was never just about one headliner. The deal also sent and brought back other players and prospects, and the early returns are making it harder to judge what Boston really got out of the exchange. Some pieces have shown promise, others are still too young to read cleanly, and the longer Durbin keeps trending up, the more this trade starts to feel like one the Red Sox will be measured against for a while. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Prospect Franklin Arias Is Giving Fans A Bigger Question
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What makes Arias especially interesting is the company he now keeps in conversations about Venezuelan baseball, a pipeline that has produced stars such as Miguel Cabrera and Ronald Acua Jr. With a full list of top prospects from the country turning heads, the bigger question for Boston is no longer whether Arias belongs on the radar, but how high he can climb from here. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Face A Tough Garrett Whitlock Decision Again
Garrett Whitlock is once again at the center of a familiar Red Sox conversation, one that blends roster need with role uncertainty. He came up as a reliever, has logged some starts along the way, and has said he is open to moving back into the rotation if that is what Boston needs. For a club with limited right-handed starting options, that makes him an obvious name to keep in mind.
The appeal is easy to see, but so is the caution. Whitlock has had more success in relief, and injuries have complicated his ability to hold down a starting job for long stretches. So even with the rotation picture giving Boston reasons to consider the idea, the Red Sox are still left weighing whether the upside of stretching him out is worth the risk of losing what he already does so well. [Read more 🡒]