The 2022 Major League Baseball season (finally) is almost upon us. After an abbreviated spring training, the Boston Red Sox will open the season Thursday on the road against the New York Yankees.
A full 162-game season is likely to bring ups and downs and plenty of questions -- just like it did in 2021, when the Red Sox dealt with injuries, breakdowns, COVID-19 outbreaks, big league debuts and more. For better or for worse, it's likely the same things are in store for 2022 (though hopefully less of the COVID outbreaks.)
But based on what we saw in 2021 -- as the Red Sox exceeded expectations and finished just shy of a run at the World Series -- and what the team will need in 2022, there are some players worth watching from Day 1.
In no particular order, here are four Red Sox players with the most to prove this season.
Chris Sale
It would be easy to cut Sale a break in 2021, considering he was coming back from Tommy John surgery. But if a rollercoaster of a half-season is forgiven, then the ace will need to impress in 2022.
Sale pitched in just nine games in 2021, logging a 3.16 ERA while allowing six home runs and walking 12 batters. The up-and-down nature of his 2021 campaign can be summed up by his performance in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series: he recovered after giving up a solo home run early, but fell apart in the sixth inning and finished with two earned runs on three hits, seven strikeouts and two walks in 5 1/3 innings.
It's unclear what the Red Sox will get from Sale in 2022. But given he will miss the start of the season with a rib injury, it's not off to a good start. All eyes will be on him when he does get back on the field, because without him, the Red Sox rotation will be lacking.
Matt Barnes
After a shaky end to 2021, in which Barnes went from an All-Star closer to someone who initially was left off the postseason roster, there suddenly are a lot of eyes on the usually steady pitcher.
From April 4 to July 4, Barnes logged a 2.68 ERA through 37 innings, but that ballooned to a 6.11 ERA through 17 2/3 innings from July 11 to Oct. 1. In the month of August, he logged a career-high ERA of 8.02.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said at the end of the season that the two sides had a conversation and Barnes would "be very important to what we're trying to accomplish next year," though at the time he did not say he was a lock to be the closer.
Based on what Boston accomplished this offseason, it's fair to assume Barnes will get the first crack at closing games for the team. It's an opportunity he said he believes he still is worthy of, and it's the most viable option, too. Garrett Whitlock remains the only other somewhat proven closer on the roster, considering Adam Ottavino jetted off to the New York Mets in free agency.
There's no sugarcoating this one. Barnes will need to get his act together in 2022.
Jarren Duran
All things considered, Duran had a pretty lackluster major league debut. The 25-year-old appeared in 33 big-league games last season, but he didn't quite live up to the high expectations that were set for him as a prospect. Duran hit just .215 with two home runs and 10 RBIs in MLB last season, though Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said in an end-of-season press conference that the Red Sox "have a lot of confidence in him."
He was optioned to Triple-A Worcester last week after a better showing in spring training, where he hit .353 across 20 plate appearances.
This Red Sox team is different than the one Duran made his debut for last season, and two of the biggest surprises have come in center field -- unfortunately for Duran, a centerfielder. Cora said himself at the end of the season he was surprised by Kiké Hernández's penchant for the position, and he has so much confidence in him that Jackie Bradley Jr. has been shifted to right field -- platooning with J.D. Martinez -- following the midnight blockbuster trade that brought him back to Boston.
Based on that, Duran has more obstacles than himself in his path should he want to return to Fenway Park in 2022.
Christian Arroyo
Arroyo was a question mark for Boston throughout 2021, as the infielder played just 57 games in his first full season with the Red Sox. And even when he was healthy, it was a toss-up as to what to do with him.
The utilityman made a case for himself in the postseason, when he earned back his spot at second base because José Iglesias was ineligible for the playoffs. But at the end of the season, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom wasn't sure what role Arroyo would play moving forward.
And now that Trevor Story has come to town -- and made a position shift from shortstop to second base to accommodate Xander Bogaerts -- Arroyo's future is even more murky.
At this point, it's best to assume Arroyo will be relegated to a bench role. But heading into his sixth major league season -- on a one-year deal before he again is eligible for salary arbitration -- this season may be about proving it to more than just the Red Sox.
