On April 4, the Boston Red Sox will face the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park, Boston, in their Home Opening game. Last season, the Red Sox took third place in the American League East, missing the postseason for the third consecutive time after being eliminated by the Toronto Blue Jays 6-1. Alongside victories for the Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals, the Red Sox could not maintain their standing, ending their season 81-81. 

That being said, the 2024 season was considered a “step in the right direction” as this lineup “seems poised for much bigger and better things,” according to a March 27, 2025 Columbia Broadcasting System article. CBS suggests that the Red Sox’s acquisition of Garrett Crochet and Alex Bregman’s offseason leadership expresses the team’s drive to play into the postseason playoffs and become serious World Series contenders.

The Red Sox’s Opening Day roster includes Kristian Campbell, a standout player who quickly ascended Major League Baseball’s prospect score standings. He initially failed to rank among MLB Pipeline’s Red Sox Top 30 Prospects, but his excellent season performance left him ranked seventh by January. According to MLB’s March 26 article, Campbell “batted a combined .330/.439/.558 with 20 homers and 24 steals in 115 games,” winning the Pipeline Hitting Prospect of the Year title. He has no evident shortcomings at the batting plate, but the MLB questions which defensive position Campbell would best serve as he lacks “smooth infield actions” and a “funky throwing stroke” that restricts his efficacy on the left infield. The Red Sox opted to put Campbell on second base and keep him on the infield, as his lack of outfield experience calls his potential to succeed in those positions into question.

Connor Wong and Carlos Narvaez will be the Red Sox’s catchers, Wong being likely to remain there after the Sox traded Kyle Teel to the Chicago White Sox. At the same time, Narvaez took the backup spot because of his strong defensive capabilities, a March 27 MLB article explains. 

Triston Casas will be on first base; last season, he missed four months due to a rib cage injury. Casas is a powerful batter, capable of 30 to 40 homers. As previously mentioned, Campbell will be playing second base. The player at shortstop will be Trevor Story — having him play for an entire season “would mean big things for Boston defensively, offensively and in the clubhouse,” the same MLB article says. Third base will be Alex Bregman, whose “swing is tailor-made for Fenway Park.”

The Red Sox’s four outfielders will be Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Rob Refsnyder. All four players are coming off incredibly strong showings last season; Abreu won a Gold Glove in his rookie season, Duran “is coming off a monster year” as one of the best leadoff hitters in 2024 and Refsnyder “mashes lefties.”

The designated hitter will be Rafael Devers, despite his earlier attempt to remain at third base.

David Hamilton and Romy Gonzalez are the team’s two utility players. Hamilton is expected to rotate between second base, shortstop and occasionally, the center field position. Gonzalez also has experience in all four infield positions.

The five starting pitchers are Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Walker Buehler, Richard Fitts and Sean Newcomb. The standout among these pitchers is Crochet, who CBS considers “one filthy pitcher, a bulldog who wants to sit down anyone who makes their way to the plate.” The article notes his “imposing” height — he stands at six feet and six inches — and he is “consistently flirting with triple digits on the radar gun.” MLB suggests that Crochet’s already stellar performance can improve even more in 2025. Injured starting pitchers Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito are expected to return to the lineup by mid-April.

To round it out, the team’s eight relief pitchers are Aroldis Chapman, Justin Slaten, Cooper Criswell, Garrett Whitlock, Justin Wilson, Jack Kelly, Greg Weissert, and Brennan Bernardino. Slaten and Whitlock were “Rule 5 success stories,” drafted onto the Red Sox in 2023 and 2020, respectively. Whitlock “made an immediate impact” on the Red Sox and became “an invaluable swingman” in the past several years, according to a Dec. 4, 2024, MLB article. Similarly, Slaten’s skill set “brought flashbacks” of Whitlock’s performance when the Red Sox first drafted him, the same article highlighting his 2.93 earned run average in 44 game appearances.

CBS considers the Red Sox to have improved their odds of reaching the World Series the most of any other team since October, having ended the 2024 season with 40-to-1 odds for 2025. Going into this season, the Red Sox entered with 16-to-1 odds, giving them the highest team improvement. The Entertainment and Sports Network has also named the Red Sox the favorite to win the American League East Conference and All League pennant. 

Before facing the Cardinals in April, the Red Sox will play the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park on March 31.