The Major League Baseball lockout is over, the Red Sox have reported to camp and Boston is ready to return to the diamond for Grapefruit League action.
The Red Sox play their first of 19 spring training games Thursday when they host the Minnesota Twins at JetBlue Park. Michael Feliz draws the start for Boston, which enters 2022 looking to build on a successful 2021 in which the Red Sox finished two wins shy of reaching the World Series.
Jarren Duran and Bobby Dalbec will hit atop the order Thursday, serving as the center fielder and designated hitter, respectively. Red Sox manager Alex Cora revealed before the game that Dalbec will try some second base this spring, but they’re evidently easing the 26-year-old first baseman into that role.
The rest of Thursday’s spring training lineup features several players looking to carve out major league roles at some point this season. Rob Refsnyder and Yolmer Sánchez are new additions to the organization with ample major league experience, for instance, while Franchy Cordero is trying to bounce back from an underwhelming first year with the franchise.
Most players reported to major league camp Sunday, three days after MLB and the MLB Players Association agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement, ending the lockout after 99 days of uncertainty. As such, it’s been a quick ramp-up. And we’re only three weeks away from Opening Day.
The Red Sox are scheduled to begin their regular season April 7 against the New York Yankees in the Bronx. They’ll return to Fenway Park for their home opener April 15.
There’s a lot of work to be done before then, though, and Thursday’s matinee in Fort Myers, Fla., represents another step toward the 2022 campaign. First pitch from Fenway South, on St. Patrick’s Day, is scheduled for 1:05 pm. ET on NESN.
Here are the lineups for Red Sox vs. Twins.
BOSTON RED SOX
Jarren Duran, CF
Bobby Dalbec, DH
Roberto Ramos, 1B
Rob Refsnyder, LF
Franchy Cordero, RF
Jeter Downs, SS
Yolmer Sánchez, 2B
Ryan Fitzgerald, 3B
Roldani Baldwin, C
Michael Feliz, RHP
MINNESOTA TWINS
Byron Buxton, CF
Luis Arráez, 3B
Jorge Polanco, 2B
Miguel Sanó, 1B
Gary Sánchez, DH
Max Kepler, RF
Ryan Jeffers, C
Trevor Larnach, LF
Nick Gordon, SS
Cole Sands, RHP
