Boston’s Grapefruit League card Sunday looked a lot like a dress rehearsal, and the messaging afterward only added to the intrigue.
If you were looking for a sneak preview of what the 2026 Opening Day lineup might look like, Sunday in Fort Myers probably gave you about as clear a hint as you’re going to get from Alex Cora.
Sure, the games don’t count yet and there’s still more than a month before the Boston Red Sox head to Cincinnati. But when Boston rolled out a lineup packed with regulars in an 11-10 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, it felt less like a random Grapefruit League card and more like a dress rehearsal.
At the top was Roman Anthony, who Cora already confirmed will lead off to start the season - a role that feels like a natural fit given how he thrived there late last year before the oblique injury.
Behind him, Trevor Story slotted into the two-hole, a spot Cora clearly believes maximizes his ability to drive the ball and capitalize on traffic on the bases.
“Just trying to win this [Grapefruit League] game so I just felt that’s a good way to set it up,” Cora joked with reporters on Sunday. “But yeah, it’s something I envision. And it just happened that for the first time in years what you see early is what you’re probably going to see on Opening Day.”
Cora doubled down on Story’s importance near the top, pointing to how strong he looked down the stretch last season.
Feb 22, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (13) looks on during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. (Kim Klement Neitzel/Imagn Images)“What he did last year, the last three months, he was one of the best hitters in the big leagues,” said Cora. “And it’s not about earning or he deserves whatever. But the guy stole 30 bags, he drove in 90-something runs, hit 20-something homers.
“He was amazing hitting the ball the other way. And if that’s the case, he’s going to be surrounded by lefties, which at one point, they’re probably going to bring a lefty for Roman. He’ll face a lefty and he can cash in.”
Further down the order, the biggest talking point might be who wasn’t penciled in.
Top prospect Marcelo Mayer is still very much in the mix, but Cora made it clear nothing is being handed out this spring.
“With Marcelo, like I said yesterday or two days ago, we’ll give him the baton, but he has to run,” said Cora. “You know, if he wants to be the starting second baseman in Cincinnati, there’s a lot of work to do. It’s not a given that he’s second baseman or third baseman for this team.
“There’s a lot of things that he needs to show us this spring, and we expect him to do that because he’s that talented, but at the same time, there’s a lot of guys here that can do the job.”
He was even more blunt when evaluating Mayer’s 2025 at the plate a few days ago.
“He wasn’t great offensively last year,” said Cora. “He’ll be the first one to tell you that. Defensively, he was excellent. Base-running wise, he’s really good. But offensively, there’s more. We know that, but he has to show he can handle this.”
Here’s what the batting order looked like to open Sunday’s win:
1. Roman Anthony, DH
2. Trevor Story, SS
3. Jarren Duran, LF
4. Willson Contreras, 1B
5. Wilyer Abreu, RF
6. Caleb Durbin, 3B
7. Ceddanne Rafaela, CF
8. Carlos Narvaez, C
9. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, 2B
None of this locks anything in stone - that’s not really how Cora operates in February.
But if you read between the lines, Boston may already have a pretty strong idea of how it wants to look when the games start to matter.
And if Sunday was any indication, the blueprint is already taking shape.
Feb 22, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox infielder Caleb Durbin (17) is congratulated by infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa (2) after he scored during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. (Kim Klement Neitzel/Imagn Images)JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.