The Boston Red Sox, fresh off making the playoffs for the first time since 2021, have officially released their spring training schedule for 2026.

The team will open up the Ft. Myers slate on Feb. 20 with the annual exhibition contest against Division I Northeastern. The first official Grapefruit League contest will be the following day against the Minnesota Twins.

About the schedule

In total, the Red Sox will play 33 games next spring, with 17 of them being at home at JetBlue Park. They will play 16 road contests, including two of the final three before heading back north for Opening Day.

Dates to highlight

Feb. 20 - the spring exhibition opener against Northeastern

Feb. 21 - the Grapefruit League opener against the Twins

March 3 - A contest against the Puerto Rican World Baseball Classic team. Manager Alex Cora is from Puerto Rico, so this matchup will certainly be important to him and the organization.

March 4 - the first matchup of the spring against the New York Yankees. It's one of two matchups with the Yankees next spring.

March 20 - the day of the 'Spring Breakout' game in which the Red Sox' top prospects will play against the top prospects from the Baltimore Orioles.

Thing to know about this spring

The World Baseball Classic is happening from March 1-17. That means that multiple Red Sox players or prospects could be away from the team in that time.

While rosters are not officially set, it's certainly possible that Jarren Duran (Mexico) and Masataka Yoshida (Japan) could play again. Ceddanne Rafaela could play for the Netherlands and Marcelo Mayer has also been linked to Mexico.

It would make sense if Team USA inquired about Garrett Crochet's interest as well.

Questions before the Red Sox arrive

Before getting back to Florida, the Red Sox have to figure out if they are bringing back Alex Bregman to play third base. They also need to figure out if they are going to be able to add another starting pitcher to the mix, as they could use some depth behind Crochet. 

Finally, will Duran be on the roster in 2026? He's been linked to trade rumors for months. Will Boston pull the trigger? Could Wilyer Abreu be moved instead?

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