Catcher
Korey Lee and Matt Thaiss
The first crack at a 26-man roster prediction had one of the team's top five prospects, Edgar Quero, making the team. However, that was before veteran Matt Thaiss was added.
That is not to say Thaiss is better than Quero. It is just that Thaiss has way more experience, and going with that allows the Sox to give Quero a few more months in Triple-A.
The Sox also have Kyle Teel in their system who is ranked higher than Quero. Again, allowing Lee and Thaiss to start the season gives Teel and Quero just a little bit more time to refine their games before giving them a crack at the big leagues.
Plus, both cannot catch every day, so sending those two down allows Teel and Quero to get some reps at first base or DH. Teel is also athletic enough to play in the outfield, so he can get some experience down in Charlotte before coming up.
Since the Sox are not going anywhere in the standings anytime soon, they can afford to be patient with Teel and Quero's development.
Thaiss is the type of player that can easily be DFA'd when those two are ready. Heck, contenders are always looking for catching depth so maybe Thaiss fetches a scratch-off prospect in a trade.
Infield
Andrew Vaughn, Josh Rojas, Colson Montgomery, Miguel Vargas, Lenyn Sosa, and Brandon Drury
Vaughn is entrenched at first base even though he has been nothing but a replacement-level level during his four seasons with the team.
Miguel Vargas is out of options, but it is unlikely he will get cut considering he was the crown jewel in the Sox return of the Erick Fedde/Michael Kopech three-team blockbuster deal at last year's trade deadline. Even though Vargas was terrible, you must think he will get one more shot.
He has bulked up this offseason. Hopefully, he finally has accepted he is now playing for the worst team in baseball and not the best. He seemed traumatized by that last season.
Josh Rojas being added after the Winter Meetings likely pushes Chase Meidroth to Triple-A even though the young prospect has nothing left to prove in Triple-A. He is not on the 40-man roster yet whereas Lenyn Sosa is. Sosa is out of options and his strong September in 2024 is worth seeing if it is sustainable.
It feels like the shortstop competition in spring training has been rigged to have one of the team's top five prospects, Colson Montgomery, win the job even though he might not be ready for the big leagues.
Hard for me to believe that Colson is their starting shortstop on Opening Day
— Herb Lawrence (@Ecnerwal23) February 16, 2025
He’s not ready & they should allow him to prove it down in Charlotte
And it’s not even a numbers thing, just need to know that when you call him up you’re sure that he’ll stay up https://t.co/kkmP9cj7Oi
Rojas is at least a professional baseball player who provides some cover at second or third base in case Meidroth's spring proves he should get more time in the minors. Even Thaiss is a professional catcher to give the Sox the same cover at catcher
Jacob Amaya and Tristan Gray are fringe big-leaguers who likely do not provide at least replacement-level play at short.
Montgomery has the most upside of all the guys competing for the spot in camp. He struggled to hit for most of his first season in Triple-A. He had a strong September and has made a change to his swing that could get him back to reaching his Corey Seager-like ceiling.
Fellow prospect Brooks Baldwin got some at-bats in the majors, but it was uninspiring. However, he has hit at every level, so he should not be ruled out to win the starting shortstop job.
Brandon Drury is in camp on a non-roster invite after a terrible 2024 season. He has won a Silver Slugger before and does provide some power the lineup desperately needs. Plus, he can play every position except catcher and center field.