Red Sox Fans Will Love Lineup For Spring Training Opener Vs. Northeastern

UPDATE (9:11 a.m. ET): Roman Anthony has been scratched from Friday’s lineup for the opener vs. Northeastern. He’ll be replaced by recently signed Trayce Thompson, who will bat leadoff and play left field.

ORIGINAL STORY: Red Sox fans will finally get to see baseball again on Friday, and in the process, they’ll get a glimpse of the very promising future.

Boston opens its spring training game schedule with the annual clash against Northeastern at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla. Red sox fans can get their first taste of Boston baseball in 2025 with Friday’s game live on NESN and NESN360 at 1 p.m. ET.

As expected, the Red Sox aren’t trotting out many regulars, but let’s just say there’s a good chance this could be the final time we see the trio atop Alex Cora’s all playing in a game against the college kids.

Red Sox top prospects Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer will all start for the Red Sox against Northeastern, and they’ll occupy the top three spots of the lineup.

On top of that, Cora penciled in Triston Casas at first base and hitting cleanup, giving fans a preview of what very well could be the top of the lineup for years to come (although Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman should figure into that mix for quite some time, too).

Here’s the full Red Sox lineup for Friday afternoon:

Roman Anthony, LF
Kristian Campbell, 2B
Marcelo Mayer, SS
Triston Casas, 1B
Abraham Toro, DH
Nick Sogard, 3B
Nate Eaton, CF
Jhostynxon Garcia, RF
Mark Kolozsvary, C

Brian Van Belle, SP

Anthony, Campbell and Mayer are the consensus top three prospects in the Red Sox organization. That’s precisely the order in which SoxProspects.com ranks the triumvirate of youngsters.

Don’t sleep on Garcia, either. “The Password” has impressive raw tools, especially his power. Garcia hit 23 home runs in just 412 at-bats over three stops during the 2024 minor league season. At just 22, this is a huge year for his development.