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FORT MYERS, Fla. — A day before breaking camp and heading north for Cincinnati, the Red Sox finalized the group of position players on their Opening Day roster with a series of roster moves Monday.
Utility man Andruw Monasterio won the final bench spot and Connor Wong, as expected, will be the backup catcher to begin the season. To make those decisions official, Boston optioned infielder/outfielder Nate Eaton and catcher Mickey Gasper to Triple-A Worcester while re-assigning non-roster catcher Matt Thaiss to the minors.
Monasterio and Wong will join utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa and outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida as manager Alex Cora’s primary bench options. To start the year, the Red Sox will carry Carlos Narváez as the starting catcher, the quartet of Willson Contreras, Marcelo Mayer, Trevor Story and Caleb Durbin as the primary infielders and Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu in the outfield.
“Position player-wise, we’re set,” Cora said. “Just where we are at with the outfielders, it made sense to carry Andruw and there’s a comfort level with Connor.”
Monasterio, who was acquired along with Durbin and Anthony Seigler in a February deal with Milwaukee, can play all four infield positions but projects to be used most often as a platoon partner with Mayer at second base and a backup to Contreras at first. The 28-year-old had an .837 OPS in 50 big league plate appearances and made more sense for the roster than Eaton, who exclusively played the outfield during camp and was the odd man out because of the glut of good outfielders on the roster.
Monasterio has only played four innings in the outfield in his career but will get some work there to prepare for an emergency situation, according to Cora.
“A good athlete, versatile, a good at-bat against lefties,” Cora said of Monasterio. “Little by little, we’ll get him introduced to the outfield but we know Izzy (Kiner-Falefa) can do that so we don’t have to push it.”
Eaton, who started two postseason games for the Sox last fall, will return to Triple-A, where he made 94 appearances in 2025.
“Just stay ready,” Cora said. “This is the 13 position players we’re gonna take to Cincinnati. That doesn’t mean you’re not part of this, but right now, he’s not, so just go down there, keep playing hard and just stay ready because you never know what can happen in a few weeks.”
Wong entered camp as the strong favorite to back up Narváez but struggled mightily (2-for-27, 9 strikeouts) while others, like Gasper, Thaiss and Jason Delay, played well. Ultimately, Wong’s familiarity with the pitching staff won out.
“With the way we’re going to play, having one of those weapons on the bench, we’re probably gonna be very aggressive pinch-hitting in certain situations and having him behind the plate late in games, if he doesn’t start, or the other way around, is a must for me,” Cora said.
Thaiss had an upward mobility clause in his minor league contract that allowed him to pursue opportunities with other clubs but he will stay in the organization and join Worcester, a source said.
The Red Sox still have some decisions to make on the pitching staff over the next few days. They still have not named a No. 5 starter, though Johan Oviedo is the favorite over rookies Connelly Early and Payton Tolle. One of the young lefties could make the team in a creative situation to provide length early on. There’s still a call to be made on Rule 5 pick Ryan Watson and others, like newcomer Tommy Kahnle, who has only been in camp a few days. The Red Sox also plan to make sure lefty Danny Coulombe, who has been dealing with illness, will be ready to go. Other options who remain in camp include Tyler Samaniego and Tyler Uberstine. (UPDATE: Watson has made the team and Samaniego was sent down around noon Monday.)
Positionally, though, the decisions are final.
“I’m very comfortable with where we’re at,” Cora said. “We’re going to be versatile and we’re going to have some good weapons coming off the bench.”
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