We have officially reached spring training’s midway point, and in a little more than two weeks the Red Sox will break camp and fly to Cincinnati for Opening Day.
Who has stood out over the past week and whose chances of earning a spot have taken a hit? Here’s a look at where things stand.
Three up
Marcelo Mayer, INF
Earlier in camp Alex Cora issued a challenge to Marcelo Mayer, effectively saying that the former top prospect’s place on the team wasn’t secure and he’d have to earn his spot.
Since then Mayer has gone about doing just that.
After a slow and steady ramp up coming off last summer’s season-ending wrist surgery, Mayer made his Grapefruit League debut last Friday and promptly hit a home run off Atlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias, one of the game’s top relievers. He has since played standout defense at both second and third base, and most encouragingly has played exclusively with the club’s projected starters.
That last part is key, because usually a good way to tell where players stand on the depth chart in the spring is by who plays mostly at home and who gets most of their opportunities on the road. Mayer’s last three games came at home as part of the same unit as Trevor Story, Caleb Durbin and Willson Contreras, all of whom are locks to start. If things keep trending this way, you can mark Mayer down as a lock, too.
Johan Oviedo, RHP
After an erratic spring debut, Johan Oviedo returned to the mound for his second start this past Monday and was fantastic. The right-hander struck out four over his three scoreless innings, and he allowed just two hits with no walks while throwing 25 of his 31 pitches for strikes.
Even after the rocky first outing Oviedo probably still had the inside track to start the season as Boston’s No. 5 starter. But after Monday the job should be his to lose.
Payton Tolle, LHP
Payton Tolle’s first two outings weren’t great and there are a lot of reasons why it would make sense for the rookie left-hander to start the season in Triple-A.
But performances like Wednesday serve as a reminder of just how special a talent Tolle could be.
Tolle struck out seven batters over three scoreless innings in a dominant third outing on Wednesday, at one point striking out five consecutive Yankees while topping out at 100.4 mph to finish one of his innings with an exclamation point. Tolle allowed just one hit and one walk, and most encouraging of all, five of the seven whiffs he drew came on secondary pitches.
As overpowering as his fastball is, Tolle’s other pitches are a work in progress and he won’t reach his full potential as a big leaguer until they improve. Wednesday was a great first step and hopefully a sign of even more progress to come.
Three down
Ryan Watson, RHP
As a Rule 5 pick Ryan Watson should have a great opportunity to make the Red Sox roster. The right-hander must spend the entire season with the big league club or be offered back to the San Francisco Giants, so the Red Sox can’t option him to the minor leagues without potentially losing him.
Even still, Watson has to earn his place, and he hasn’t exactly done so through the first few weeks of camp.
So far Watson has allowed six runs over five Grapefruit League appearances, giving up seven hits, two walks and hitting a batter while striking out three. Only one of Watson’s outings have been clean so far, his spring debut, and since then the right-hander allowing at least one baserunner in each of the last four.
The bulk of the damage came on Monday against the Blue Jays when he was charged with four runs over 2/3 of an inning.
Considering how little bullpen depth the Red Sox have Watson should still have a good chance to make the team, especially if he performs better over the second half of camp. But with several non-roster invitees in camp who have opt outs and also can’t be easily stashed in the minors, Watson’s Rule 5 status might only give him so much leeway. If the club gets to a point where one of those non-roster arms clearly deserves the job and the easiest way to clear a spot is by returning Watson to his old organization, that’s a possibility that can’t be ruled out.
Nick Sogard, utility
With Romy Gonzalez expected to start the season on the injured list, Nick Sogard is among the utility candidates vying for his spot on the Red Sox bench. He’s gotten plenty of opportunities but hasn’t fully capitalized, especially over the past week.
Over his last four games Sogard is 0 for 10 with one walk and two strikeouts. He was also among those who made the long trips north to Dunedin and Clearwater, and he was scheduled to play Friday in Lakeland too before he was scratched after reportedly coming down sick.
Even putting his recent performances aside, all that time riding the bus suggests Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Andruw Monasterio have gained the upper hand. Sogard going hitless for a week definitely won’t help his case.
Justin Slaten, RHP
Justin Slaten is in no danger of being left off the Opening Day roster and still projects as one of the club’s top high-leverage bullpen arms. But even with the caveat that spring training statistics don’t mean much, the right-hander has gotten off to an underwhelming start.
Over the past week Slaten has appeared in two games and allowed four earned runs over 1 2/3 innings, surrendering three hits, a walk and a home run with three strikeouts while opposing hitters batted .375 against him.
You’d certainly prefer to see cleaner outings from a guy who the Red Sox are counting on as a top seventh-inning option. Chalk this one up as not a big deal, but something worth monitoring.
