Spring training is upon us, and the Red Sox officially kicked things off with a match against the Northeastern University Huskies on Friday ahead of one against the Rays on Saturday.
This means that it will soon be time for Craig Breslow and the Red Sox's front office to make cuts and select their 40-man roster for the 2025 season. With that said, here are four Red Sox players who are in danger of losing their roster spots heading into 2025.
4 Red Sox players in danger of losing their roster spot
Nick Sogard
First on our list is middle infielder Nick Sogard. Sogard, 26, only appeared in 31 games for the big league club in 2024. He put together a slash line of .273/.326/.325 to go along with an 82 OPS+ and 81 wRC+. While these numbers are not terrible, Sogard is in a tough spot, as the Red Sox have a bevy of talent in the middle infield. With the likes of Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell waiting in the wings, Sogard appears to be the odd man out.
Romy González
Similar to Sogard, Romy González is also in a tough spot going into the 2025 campaign. The 28-year-old carved out a decent role for himself on the 2024 team, appearing in 89 games for Boston. Despite not lighting up the box score, he still produced decent numbers, posting a line of .266/.306/.417 in addition to a 99 OPS+ of 99 and 97 wRC+.
While González never produced elite numbers, he still provided a decent bat and glove for an injury-riddled Red Sox team. However, with a fully healthy squad heading into 2025, his time in Boston may be over. In addition to the aforementioned debuts of Campbell and Mayer, the Red Sox also signed veteran Abraham Toro to a minor-league deal. If Toro has a good spring training, he could take a spot away from González.
Cooper Criswell
The first pitcher on our list is Cooper Criswell. The 27-year-old hurler became a mainstay in an often injured Red Sox rotation last season, starting 18 games for the club. In those 18 starts, Criswell pitched to a 4.08 ERA, 4.15 FIP, and 105 ERA+ in 99 1/3 innings of work.
While Criswell proved to be a solid back-of-the-rotation arm, the additions of Patrick Sandoval, Garrett Crochet, and Walker Buehler this offseason make it clear that Criswell has lost his spot in the rotation, leaving question marks around his future in Boston. Even if his time in the rotation is over, he could stay on the team as a multi-inning reliever.
Josh Winckowski
While this may surprise some, Josh Winckowski could be at risk of losing his roster spot this spring. After having an elite 2023 season when he sported a 2.88 ERA out of the bullpen, Winckowski took a step back in 2024, as he posted a 4.14 ERA, 4.48 FIP, and 103 ERA+ in 76 innings of work.
While his performance alone might not spell his doom in Boston, the Red Sox have a backlog of potential middle relievers with the likes of Criswell, Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert, and now Garrett Whitlock, which could complicate Winckowski's spot on the 2025 roster.
