PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Two large white moving trucks were backed up to the Red Sox clubhouse on Sunday morning as attendants worked furiously to fill them with everything that had been delivered to Fenway South just six weeks ago.
Hours before Boston closed out its 2025 Grapefruit League slate at JetBlue Park with a 9-3 loss to Minnesota, the luggage was loaded, the lockers were cleared out and the bubble gum was packed.
The Red Sox break camp with one big question remaining: Which players will eventually follow the trucks north?
Boston is taking some final decisions down to the wire, with manager Alex Cora and company preferring to wait and trim the ranks a final time while the team is in Mexico in the hours leading up to Opening Day.
We can make some educated guesses, though, and Sunday¡¯s announcement that right-hander Quinn Priester was optioned to Triple-A Worcester all but solidified that Sean Newcomb would be Boston¡¯s fifth starter.
Strictly statistically speaking, Newcomb had the better spring, putting together a 0.63 ERA and 13 strikeouts across five appearances (four starts) against Priester¡¯s 4.82 ERA and nine K¡¯s across four starts. Newcomb, who signed a Minors deal with the Red Sox on Jan. 14, made the most of his opportunity. He was aided by a rash of injuries that opened the door for both him and likely No. 4 starter Richard Fitts, who is slated to start Monday¡¯s exhibition game in Monterrey, Mexico, against the Sultanes de Monterrey of the Mexican League.
The club has not confirmed its rotation -- which will also soon be amended as Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Lucas Giolito return from injury -- but following Priester¡¯s option, it appears set for at least the first couple of turns.
Forty-three players remained in camp following Priester¡¯s move, so there¡¯s still roster trimming to be done, and one of the biggest questions was whether No. 7 overall prospect Kristian Campbell would be Boston¡¯s starting second baseman. A source told MLB.com's Ian Browne that the 22-year-old learned Sunday night that he made the Opening Day roster.
Campbell put together an outstanding spring on defense, particularly down the stretch, when he regularly robbed opponents of sure hits with a variety of highlight-reel-worthy plays in the field. He started the final three Grapefruit League games.
Infielder Romy Gonzalez (right oblique soreness) and right fielder Wilyer Abreu (viral illness) have also stalled final decisions until recently. Gonzalez -- who will work out at the Red Sox complex when the team travels to Mexico -- took grounders and hit off a pitching machine Sunday, and he¡¯ll also play games on the back fields on Monday and Tuesday.
Abreu, who¡¯s still trying to get up to speed after a viral illness knocked him down hard at the start of camp, will also stay behind to get at-bats at the complex.
¡°We have a good idea where we're going,¡± Cora said. ¡°It's just a matter of seeing how Romy is doing, and then everything's trending in the right direction. And obviously, Willie was ... we were in doubt, but things are trending in the right direction.
¡°We're getting there.¡±
While Cora wants to wait until the upcoming Mexico trip to make the club¡¯s final round of cuts official, the good news is that, with just days until Opening Day, those answers will come soon enough.
Injury updates
? Giolito looked dominant in two scoreless innings at the Red Sox complex on Sunday, allowing one hit, walking none and fanning four. A free-agent acquisition on Jan. 3, Giolito is set to open the season on the injured list with a mild left hamstring strain but should only miss a couple of turns before he joins the rotation.
? Walker Buehler was a late scratch from Sunday¡¯s spring finale after he was hit with the stomach bug that made its rounds through the clubhouse this spring. Cora said Buehler was already feeling better and would pitch six innings on the back fields Monday. He¡¯s still expected to start the third game of the season, on Saturday at Texas.