The Boston Red Sox hold their workout at Yankee Stadium on Monday. The 26-man Wild Card roster must be submitted Tuesday morning before Game 1 against the New York Yankees.
Most of the roster is settled. The rotation is locked in. The everyday lineup is clear. But the margins of this roster are where the series could be won or lost, and several of those spots remain genuinely open.
Here are the decisions that will define the Red Sox’ Wild Card roster.
The Crochet Question
This is the biggest call Tracy has to make. Garrett Crochet made the trip to New York after throwing live batting practice in Fort Myers on Saturday. His velocity reached the mid-90s. Tracy has not yet committed to putting him on the roster.
Crochet has not pitched in a major league game since April. He skipped a minor league rehab assignment entirely. Adding him means trusting a pitcher who has faced hitters in controlled settings but nothing resembling the atmosphere of a playoff game at Yankee Stadium.
The case for including him is straightforward.
The bullpen lost Tyron Guerrero to a lat strain over the weekend. Justin Slaten is out for the year. Erik Miller has been unreliable in September.
The prediction here is that Crochet makes the roster. The Red Sox did not bring him to New York to watch.
The Red Sox Bench Battle
Four bench spots. At least five players competing for them. This is where Tracy reveals his priorities.
Jahmai Jones gives Tracy a left-handed DH option against right-handed pitching and can fill in defensively in left field. Nate Eaton‘s value is his legs and his ability to play all three outfield spots. Tracy said when Eaton was recalled that “he can run, that’s important.”
That leaves Andruw Monasterio and Isiah Kiner-Falefa competing for infield depth spots alongside the possibility that Tyler Ward earns a look as a second outfield option off the bench. Monasterio’s bat has cooled in September. IKF brings more defensive reliability. Ward provides outfield insurance if the Red Sox need late-game defensive switches.
Carrying all three infielders plus both Eaton and Jones would mean five bench bats but no backup outfield option beyond Eaton. Dropping one infielder for Ward gives Tracy more flexibility defensively but fewer pinch-hit options.
The other bullpen question sits between Jovani Moran and Alec Gamboa. Moran has a longer track record as a left-handed reliever. Gamboa’s recent usage as an opener gives him familiarity with a role the Red Sox may need in a short series. Only one likely makes the cut.
What the Injuries Forced
The roster Boston carries into the Bronx is not the one it planned for a month ago. The adjustments have been significant.
Roman Anthony likely slides into the primary DH role with Mickey Gasper done for the year. He will see time in the outfield as well, but the DH spot is his now.
Willson Contreras played Sunday for the first time in 10 days. Tracy said afterward he “should be good to go” for the series. The hand is not fully right, but Contreras in the lineup at less than full strength is better than the alternative.
Brayan Bello and Jake Bennett move into multi-inning bullpen roles. Bello closed the regular season with a 0.48 ERA over his final four outings. Bennett threw 3⅔ scoreless innings out of the bullpen on Friday. Both will be asked to provide length if a starter runs into trouble early.
Wyatt Olds, recalled when Guerrero went down, gives Tracy a capable arm in the middle innings after posting a 1.20 ERA in 13 appearances since being called up in mid-August.
The Full Projected Roster
Catchers (2): Adley Rutschman, Connor Wong
Infield (4): Contreras, Nick Sogard, Trevor Story, Caleb Durbin
Outfield/DH (4): Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony
Bench (4): Jahmai Jones, Nate Eaton, Andruw Monasterio, Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Rotation (3): Payton Tolle, Sonny Gray, Ranger Suarez
Bullpen (9): Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Whitlock, Brayan Bello, Jake Bennett, Erik Miller, Greg Weissert, Alec Gamboa, Wyatt Olds, Garrett Crochet
Final Word for the Red Sox
The Red Sox were 32-46 on June 25. They went 55-29 from that point forward, the best record in baseball over that span. Now the roster has to be locked in.
Tracy has decisions to make on the margins. Crochet. The bench composition. The final bullpen spot. None of those calls are obvious. All of them could matter in a three-game series where one inning can change everything.
Twenty-six players. Three games. The Bronx. Tuesday night.
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