Roman Anthony was one of seven Red Sox rookies to make his major league debut in 2025. Anthony is already arguably Boston’s top position player and should slot in as its everyday leadoff hitter in 2026.
The other six players also showed potential, but what’s their outlook for next season?
Below is a look at each player’s potential role heading into next season.
Roman Anthony: The 21-year-old will be an everyday player and presumably the leadoff hitter against both righties and lefties. But whether he plays left field, right field or a combination of both positions will depend on how the Red Sox’ offseason unfolds.
Anthony posted an impressive eight defensive runs saved in 290 ⅓ innings in right field as a rookie. But Wilyer Abreu, a 2024 Gold Glove winner and 2025 Gold Glove finalist, is a superior right fielder (15 DRS, 847 ⅓ innings) and has much better arm strength in a very spacious right field at Fenway. Abreu ranked in the 97th percentile in arm strength (94.2 mph) while Anthony finished in the 52nd percentile (84.6 mph).
Anthony’s arm and overall abilities probably make him better suited for left field at Fenway where he could turn into an above-average defender.
If the Red Sox trade Jarren Duran, Anthony would be the everyday left fielder.
If the Red Sox trade Abreu, Anthony would likely be used every day in right field.
If the Red Sox keep both Duran and Abreu, Anthony likely would move back and forth between left field and right field depending on who sits in a given game.
Kristian Campbell: It’s a total mystery as of right now whether the 23-year-old will begin the year with Boston or Triple-A Worcester. His defensive position is also a mystery. He was one of the big league’s worst defenders as a rookie, posting negative-16 defensive runs saved in 471 ⅔ innings at second base before the Red Sox demoted him June 20 to Worcester where he spent the rest of the season.
With the WooSox, Campbell started 31 games at first base, 11 games at second base, 10 games in center field, seven games in right field and five games in left field for the WooSox.
Campbell best uses his athleticism in the outfield, but no single position stands out as his best.
His 2026 outlook all depends on the progress he makes in the offseason. He needs to be better defensively while also performing better against sinkers, breaking balls and offspeed pitches.
“I think Kristian learned a lot about himself,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said last week. “We learned a lot about him. He’s a tireless worker. And we saw that from spring training through his time in the big leagues, when he was the AL Rookie of the Month (for April) to when he was struggling and sent down.
“A ton of confidence both in the work he’s going to commit to this offseason and what he’s going to mean for this organization,” Breslow added. “But I don’t think it makes a ton of sense to try to pin him to a role outside of saying he’s going to feel the support of the entire organization and we know what he’s capable of.”
Campbell signed an eight-year, $60 million extension after going 6-for-16 with a homer, double, four walks and a .500 on-base percentage in his first five games. His $7.5 million average annual value that will count toward Boston’s CBT next year isn’t enough to hamstring the Red Sox, but it does complicate matters some, including making him more difficult to trade.
Marcelo Mayer: Like with Anthony, Mayer’s position next year likely will depend on how this offseason unfolds.
Third baseman Alex Bregman is expected to opt out of the final two years of his three-year, $120 million contract. If he leaves in free agency, Mayer is a candidate to start at third base.
Shortstop Trevor Story has the ability to opt out of the final two years and $55 million remaining on his six-year, $140 million contract. The Red Sox can void his opt-out if he triggers it by adding an extra one-year, $20 million to the deal for 2028. If Story doesn’t return, Mayer would be his obvious successor.
Boston also needs to figure out its second base situation after using six different starters there in 2025. Mayer, who started seven games there in 2025, is an option, especially if the Red Sox retain Story and Bregman.
If he’s healthy and still in the organization, he should make the Opening Day roster. Mayer always could be part of a trade to acquire a No. 2 starting pitcher this winter.
The 22-year-old has not yet logged enough major league time to move beyond prospect status. Baseball America ranks him No. 9 on its Top 100 list and he has the chance to be a special player. But questions linger over his ability to hit left-handed pitching here early in his career and a complicated injury history. He has never played in more than 91 games in any of his four full professional seasons.
Payton Tolle: The 22-year-old lefty will get the chance to compete for a 2026 Opening Day roster spot during spring training but he likely will begin the season in Worcester’s starting rotation.
Tolle has an elite fastball that averaged 96.6 mph and topped out at 100.8 mph in his 16 ⅓ innings in the major leagues.
His 99th percentile extension (7.5) enhances the effectiveness of his fastball. But opponents still went 13-for-46 (.283) against his heater because he threw it too frequently (64.1%), allowing hitters to wait on it.
He needs to improve his secondary pitches and then throw them more often to make his fastball play at an elite level.
“I think there’s a lot of room for my curveball downer to improve, along with the changeup. Just like just kind of developing feel of those,” Tolle said in late September. “But that’s kind of something that whenever that time comes, we’ll have those conversations and whatever they want to tell me, I know I’m gonna go home and work really hard at it.”
Connelly Early: How could Boston’s Game 3 AL Wild Card Series starter not be in the 2026 Opening Day rotation, right? Well, his playoff start was only his fifth major league start.
Early was Boston’s third best starter come the postseason but it took several injuries – including Lucas Giolito’s elbow issue during the final week of the season — for him to be in that position.
He’ll compete for a spot in the back of the rotation. While he’s not a lock, he probably has the best chance to win a spot among the other pitchers who debuted in 2025.
The Red Sox are expected to add starting pitching this offseason, potentially even a true No. 2 starter behind Garrett Crochet.
Giolito (eligible for free agency) and Brayan Bello both pitched like No. 2 starters at points in 2025. However, it was evident in September and during the postseason that Boston lacked a legitimate No. 2 starter when it mattered most.
Let’s not forget that Kutter Crawford — who was arguably Boston’s most consistent starting pitcher in 2024 (4.36 ERA, 33 starts, 183 ⅔ innings) — is expected back after missing 2025 with right patellar tendinopathy and a wrist injury that required season-ending surgery.
Other internal options include Patrick Sandoval, Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts, Tolle and Cooper Criswell.
Hunter Dobbins: The 26-year-old’s goal is to return to “full strength” by Opening Day 2026 after undergoing season-ending surgery in July to repair an ACL tear.
If he’s healthy for spring training, he should compete with a group that includes Fitts, Sandoval, Early, Tolle, Criswell and others.
Jhostynxon García: The 22-year-old outfielder looked overmatched in his first taste of the majors, a small sample size, striking out five times in seven at-bats.
He’ll likely begin the 2026 season with Worcester but there might be an opportunity for the young right-handed power hitter if outfielder Rob Refsnyder signs elsewhere in free agency.
That said, it seems logical for the Red Sox to re-sign Refsnyder, who has an .804 OPS in 309 games with Boston the past four seasons.
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