Red Sox Position Battles: Who Wins Two Key Spots For 2025?

The Boston Red Sox enter spring training with a much-improved roster for the 2025 season.

Alex Bregman, two new starting pitchers and hard-throwing relievers headlined the offseason for Boston. The roster will further take shape with emerging prospects and other players fighting to solidify roles in camp.

Boston needs to identify its best direction with the roster and a few position battles will have a major impact on the team’s chances to contend in 2025.

Here are the two main position battles to watch in spring training for the Red Sox.

Closer
Contestants: Liam Hendriks, Justin Slaten, Aroldis Chapman
Projected Winner: Liam Hendriks

Hendriks finished his rehab from Tommy John surgery with the Red Sox in 2024 and will make his team debut this season. Chapman was one of the better closers of his generation with several stops in his MLB career. Slaten rose as a leverage arm in Boston’s bullpen a year ago with improved stuff.

These three arms make up the leverage unit for the Red Sox in addition to multi-inning weapon Garrett Whitlock. It’s now just a matter of who pitches when for Boston.

Hendriks seems like the likely option as the two-time All-Star looks to return to form and lock down saves in a Red Sox uniform.

Second Base
Contestants: Kristian Campbell, Vaughn Grissom
Projected Winner: Kristian Campbell

This is absolutely the biggest battle to watch in camp for the Red Sox. It won’t matter if Bregman takes over at second base, but Boston’s best scenario is Bregman eventually playing his natural position at third.

Grissom came to Boston with plenty of potential in the return of the Chris Sale trade. He never fully got his chance to show his worth when illnesses and injuries ate up the majority of his 2024 campaign. Meanwhile, Campbell, the 2023 fourth-round draft pick, came out of nowhere to hit the cover off the ball and rose through three minor-league levels as a standout talent.

Both players are still very young and talented, which creates a great problem for Boston to have. For now, Campbell’s astronomical momentum continues in spring training for him to start at second base on Opening Day.