And learn to ignore spring training statistics, which most teams see as meaningless. Kristian Campbell was 8 of 48 (.167) with two RBIs and 18 strikeouts in the Grapefruit League last season and still made the team because the Sox were convinced he was making sound decisions at the plate.

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Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was so enamored with Campbell that he received an eight-year, $60 million extension after four games. Campbell rewarded that confidence by posting a .935 OPS in his first 28 games before falling into a disquieting slump that sent him back to the minors.

So, here’s a first projection of what will be several during spring training, and there are sure to be changes. Let’s start with the lineup:

Roman Anthony, LF

Trevor Story, SS

Jarren Duran, DH

Willson Contreras, 1B

Wilyer Abreu, RF

Caleb Durbin, 2B

Marcelo Mayer, 3B

Carlos Narváez, C

Ceddanne Rafaela, CF

Explanation: The addition of Contreras and Durbin, both righthanded hitters, will allow manager Alex Cora to create much better lineup balance from top to bottom. Anthony had a .396 on-base percentage in 71 games last season and stands as the only real option to lead off given Duran’s .328 career OBP.

Cora said this week that Story has “earned” the right to hit high in the order. He also is committed to Contreras batting fourth and likes the idea of Durbin hitting sixth as sort of a second leadoff hitter.

How Cora splits up the playing time for his four outfielders and Masataka Yoshida will be a season-long challenge unless — or until — somebody gets traded. It’s an awkwardly constructed roster in that sense.

Cora said his two Gold Glovers, Abreu and Rafaela, will be in the field when they are in the lineup. That leaves Anthony, Duran, and Yoshida as DH options.

“It’s too early [to decide],” Cora said on Thursday. “We have a lot of work to do in the upcoming weeks and months … We’ll mix and match.”

Mayer showed he could play third base last season. Durbin was a third baseman for the Brewers last season but played a lot of second base in the minors and is comfortable there.

Bench (4): 1B-2B Romy Gonzalez, 2B-3B-SS-OF-C Isiah Kiner-Falefa, C Connor Wong, DH-LF Masataka Yoshida.

Explanation: There’s a decent chance, maybe even a good one, that Gonzalez will start the season on the injured list with a sore left shoulder. That would bring somebody such as Campbell, Nate Eaton, Andruw Monasterio, or Nick Sogard into the mix. The Sox have five nonroster catchers in camp who will try to unseat Wong.

Yoshida has a .970 OPS in 23 career plate appearances as a pinch hitter, so there is that.

Rotation (5): LHP Garrett Crochet, RHP Sonny Gray, LHP Ranger Suárez, RHP Brayan Bello, RHP Johan Oviedo.

Explanation: Kutter Crawford will be in the mix to displace Oviedo, but he missed a week of preseason preparation with the flu and is a little behind the other starters. He also sat out last season with knee and wrist injuries, so the Sox could stash the righthander on the IL for a bit.

Beyond that, this is the rotation that should be much better than what the Sox had last season. The first five starters in 2025 were Crochet, Tanner Houck (who will open this season on the injured list), Walker Buehler, Richard Fitts, and Sean Newcomb.

Bullpen (8): LHP Aroldis Chapman, LHP Jovani Morán, RHP Zack Kelly, LHP Patrick Sandoval, RHP Justin Slaten, RHP Ryan Watson, RHP Greg Weissert, RHP Garrett Whitlock.

Explanation: Watson was a Rule 5 pick the Red Sox selected from the Giants via the Athletics. The Sox found Whitlock and Slaten via the Rule 5 and will give Watson every chance to make the team.

Sandoval has one option remaining, but the Sox invested $18.25 million in him. He didn’t pitch last season while returning from Tommy John surgery and could serve as a long reliever or spot starter.

Kelly always seems to find his way onto the roster, but he’ll have to earn a spot.

Chapman and Whitlock are one of the best late-game combinations in the game. Slaten took a step back last season and needs to have a good camp.

It’s unlikely the Sox would keep Connelly Early or Payton Tolle in the bullpen as the young lefties are the first line of rotation depth and are sure to be needed at some point.

Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social‬.