Red Sox outfield preview: How will the logjam shake out? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Red Sox should have prioritized finding a solution to their outfield logjam during the offseason. But with one month left until Opening Day, the issue remains unresolved.
It’s a similar situation to last year, when the Red Sox entered the season with Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu as their starting outfielders. Top prospect Roman Anthony was knocking on the door to the big leagues, and Masataka Yoshida spent most of the season on the injured list before returning as the club’s primary designated hitter.
This time, Boston has four starting outfielders on its roster in Duran, Rafaela, Abreu, and Anthony. Yoshida is healthy, but with several OFs and DHs already on the roster, where does he fit in?
We’ll get into that, and everything else you need to know about the 2026 Red Sox’ outfield situation, in our preview:
Roman Anthony
2025 stats: .292/.396/.463, 8 HR, 32 RBI, 84 SO, 40 BB (71 games)
Roman Anthony will have plenty on his plate in his first full big-league season. The former No. 1 prospect is expected to be the heart of the Red Sox offense with Alex Bregman no longer in the picture. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a 21-year-old, but he showed as a rookie that he’s up for the task.
Anthony finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year race after posting an .859 OPS and amassing a 3.1 WAR in 71 games. He missed the final month of the season with an oblique injury, so health is one of the very few question marks surrounding him heading into 2026.
Manager Alex Cora announced Anthony will be his leadoff hitter to start the new season. He slashed .336/.439/.564 with six homers in the leadoff spot last year.
Anthony is expected to spend most of his time in left field. Cora stated last season that he would prefer not to use him as a designated hitter.
Wilyer Abreu
2025 stats: .247/.317/.469, 22 HR, 69 RBI, 101 SO, 40 BB (115 games)
Tim Heitman-Imagn ImagesAbreu has been the subject of trade rumors in the last two offseasons due to the outfield logjam. All signs point toward him returning for 2026, and he’ll be an X factor.
With back-to-back Gold Gloves, Abreu has established himself as one of the best defensive right fielders in the game. He’ll look to bring home the hardware for the third straight season while taking another step forward at the plate.
Abreu was one of the Red Sox’ best hitters in 2025, but there’s room for improvement. He should get more opportunities against left-handed pitchers after taking only 61 at-bats against southpaws last year. If he starts hitting lefties, he could put up some seriously impressive numbers in 2026.
Ceddanne Rafaela
2025 stats: .249/.295/.414, 16 HR, 63 RBI, 117 SO, 28 BB (156 games)
Brian Fluharty/Getty ImagesRafaela is reminiscent of Jackie Bradley Jr. as an elite defensive center fielder who’s streaky at the plate. He took a noticeable step forward offensively in 2025, though, with better numbers across the board while cutting his strikeout total from 151 to 117.
There was some talk about Rafaela playing second base this season to clear up the outfield logjam, but that no longer makes sense with infielders Caleb Durbin and Isiah Kiner-Falefa now in the mix. It was never really a good idea in the first place, as Rafaela’s exceptional defense in center field is far too valuable.
Rafaela will look to improve his chase rate, which has been among the league’s worst over the last two years. While plate discipline isn’t his strong suit, Rafaela was one of Boston’s most clutch hitters in 2025 with multiple walk-off homers and a walk-off triple.
Jarren Duran
2025 stats: .256/.332/.442, 16 HR, 84 RBI, 169 SO, 60 BB (157 games)
Eric Hartline-Imagn ImagesLike Abreu, Duran has been mentioned in trade rumors often over the last two offseasons. Moving him was the most sensible route to clearing the outfield logjam, but Craig Breslow & Co. didn’t get what they were looking for in a potential deal for the 2024 All-Star Game MVP.
While Duran was still one of the Red Sox’ best hitters in 2025, his production fell off significantly from his All-Star campaign. He also took a step back defensively in left field after an impressive season in center.
This year, Duran will likely be the odd man out in the crowded outfield and spend most of the season as Boston’s DH. As he recently stated, he’d “be the fastest DH in the league.”
Masataka Yoshida
2025 stats: .266/.307/.388, 4 HR, 26 RBI, 24 SO, 10 BB (55 games)
Dan Hamilton-Imagn ImagesFor the second straight year, the Red Sox’ outfield logjam has blocked Yoshida’s path to consistent playing time. Even if the club felt confident enough to play him in the outfield, there are four players ahead of him on the depth chart. And with Duran expected to serve as the primary DH, Yoshida is projected to come off the bench if the team can’t find a trade partner for him before the season.
Yoshida, 32, is difficult to move with two years and $37.2 million remaining on his contract. He’d have to be dealt in a salary dump, similar to what the Red Sox did when they traded reliever Jordan Hicks and pitching prospect David Sandlin to the Chicago White Sox earlier this offseason.
Kristian Campbell
2025 stats: .223/.319/.345, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 72 SO, 29 BB (67 games)
Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn ImagesCampbell’s rookie season got off to a hot start, and he was rewarded with an eight-year contract extension worth $60 million in April. Two months later, he was sent back down to Triple-A after struggling mightily both at the plate and at second base.
Looking ahead to 2026, it will be difficult for Campbell to earn a spot on the big-league roster. The club is using him primarily as an outfielder in spring training, and even though he’s still occasionally being worked out as an infielder, it’s hard to imagine he’ll see much time in Boston’s infield this upcoming season with a handful of middle infielders already on the roster.
Campbell is too talented not to get another shot with the big-league club, but it’s uncertain how or when that will happen.
Nate Eaton
2025 stats: .296/.348/.383, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 19 SO, 6 BB (41 games)
Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesEaton played in 41 games for the Red Sox last season, primarily in right field (16 games) and at third base (12 games). He also made a handful of appearances in center field and left.
While he may not make the Opening Day roster, Eaton offers value with his defensive versatility, and he wasn’t too shabby at the plate last season either. He’s a solid depth piece who should prove useful at points throughout the 2026 campaign.