The Boston Red Sox outfield depth took a major hit ahead of last Friday’s series opener against the Kansas City Royals as the team placed Eli White on the 10-day injured list with a right foot ligament injury, with no timetable for his return. The 32-year-old outfielder not only filled in admirably for the injured Ceddanne Rafaela, but was also slated to play an important role on the postseason roster as the fourth outfielder and pinch runner off the bench. With White now unlikely to return before the postseason, could the Red Sox turn to spring-training standout Braiden Ward to fill the role? 

The Red Sox acquired Ward in an offseason deal with the Colorado Rockies in exchange for left-handed reliever Brennan Bernardino. The 27-year-old outfielder became one of the biggest storylines of Red Sox spring training, seeing ample playing time as many of Boston's outfield options, including Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu and Rafaela, represented their countries in the World Baseball Classic. In 27 Grapefruit League games, Ward hit .378/.509/.444/.953 while stealing 19 bases, setting a single-season spring training record. Ward's dynamic speed caught the eye of now-former manager Alex Cora, who told reporters on several occasions that the 27-year-old would be a factor come October. 

After missing the team's opening-day roster amid an already crowded outfield, Ward spent the entire 2026 season in Triple-A Worcester. In 107 games with the WooSox, Ward hit just .238/.356/.355/.711 but set a record for most stolen bases in a single season for a Red Sox Triple-A club with 58 and counting. 

While Ward seems like a slam-dunk option to fill White's role on the postseason roster, it is not as simple as just recalling him from Triple-A, as he's not on the 40-man roster. The Red Sox 40-man roster currently sits at 39; however, the impending returns of Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck and Johan Oviedo mean the team will have to either designate two players for assignment or move someone to the 60-day IL. 

Luckily, there are several candidates for the latter: in White, should he be unable to return for the postseason, designated hitter Masataka Yoshida, utility man Anthony Seigler and reliever Justin Slaten, all of whom appear unlikely to return prior to the end of the season.

Interim manager Chad Tracy was asked about the possibility of Ward joining the big-league club during his weekly appearance on WEEI's 'Rich and Ken with Ted Johnson' Show on Wednesday afternoon. "I think that'd be considered for sure," he said when asked about the possibility of Ward joining the big-league team. "It's really hard to predict what a roster could look like, but you definitely can't ignore a 60-stolen-base player," he continued. 

However, Tracy cautioned that a pinch runner is a last resort for a team when it's trailing, and teams must consider other options, like whether it would be more valuable to add another right-handed bat or a better defender to the roster. Though Ward does profile as an above-average outfield defender. 

After falling 4-2 in Tuesday night's series opener, the Red Sox will look to even up the three-game set with the Texas Rangers in game two of three from Globe Life Field on Wednesday night. Rookie left-hander Jake Bennett (9-7, 3.69 ERA) will get the start for Boston opposite fellow southpaw MacKenzie Gore (8-11, 4.62 ERA) for Texas. First pitch is set for 8:05 p.m. ET.