BOSTON RED SOX— Even though the roster construction for the upcoming 2026 season is still very much a work in progress, one thing has already become clear inside the Boston clubhouse: manager Alex Cora knows exactly who he wants anchoring the middle of the batting order.
While many questions remain unanswered as the offseason unfolds, Cora made it clear during the team’s Fenway Fest celebration that the cleanup spot in the Red Sox lineup has already been spoken for. The role, one traditionally reserved for a hitter capable of both power and consistency, is expected to belong to Willson Contreras, the veteran slugger the club acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals late last month.
“I know Willson is probably going to hit fourth,” Cora said with confidence while addressing reporters at Fenway Fest, held at the iconic Fenway Park. “That’s one thing I feel very sure about.”
Contreras, who arrives in Boston as the organization’s most significant position-player addition of the winter so far, is expected to take over as the Red Sox’s everyday first baseman. While he has spent the bulk of his major league career behind the plate, the team views his transition to first base as a natural evolution—one that should allow his bat to remain in the lineup on a near-daily basis while reducing wear and tear.
From Cora’s perspective, the appeal of Contreras goes well beyond his resume or reputation. The manager emphasized the quality of the at-bats the veteran brings, pointing to his ability to consistently hit the ball with authority and pressure opposing pitchers throughout a game.
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“Willson’s going to bring a lot to the table,” Cora explained. “He hits the ball hard, and he’s not just up there hacking. It’s a good at-bat almost every time. He drives the ball to right-center, which plays really well here, but last year he also started pulling the ball more than he had in the past. That’s actually a great thing for us.”
That combination—plate discipline, raw power, and adaptability—makes Contreras an ideal fit in the heart of the order, especially in a ballpark like Fenway, where hitters who can drive the ball with authority to multiple parts of the field tend to thrive. The Red Sox believe that placing him in the cleanup spot will maximize both his production and his impact on the hitters around him.
However, while the middle of the lineup appears to be coming into focus, the top of the batting order remains far less settled.
When the discussion turned to the leadoff role, Cora’s tone shifted noticeably. Unlike the certainty he expressed about Contreras batting fourth, the manager admitted that he is still very much undecided about who will hit first when the 2026 season begins.
Last year, the Red Sox experimented with several different options at the top of the order. Rookie outfielder Roman Anthony was given opportunities in the leadoff spot shortly after making his major league debut, a move that reflected both his skill set and the organization’s belief in his long-term potential. Earlier in the season, before Anthony was promoted from Triple-A, the role belonged primarily to Jarren Duran, whose speed and energy have long made him a natural candidate to set the tone offensively.
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Duran returned to the leadoff role later in the year as Anthony dealt with injuries and missed time down the stretch, further muddying the picture heading into the offseason. As things stand now, both players remain firmly in the conversation to bat first, but no final decision has been made.
“I’m not there yet, honestly,” Cora admitted. “Usually by this point in the offseason, I have a pretty good idea of what we’re going to do. This year, that’s not the case at all. I really don’t know.”
According to Cora, the uncertainty has less to do with indecision and more to do with the reality that the roster itself is still incomplete. Several positions remain unsettled, and upcoming competition—both through spring training battles and potential roster moves—will ultimately shape how the lineup comes together.
“I think we have to wait and see what the roster is going to look like,” he said. “There are a few positions where there are going to be real battles. How those play out is going to dictate a lot of what we do with the lineup.”
Cora even went so far as to say that this level of uncertainty is unusual for him, particularly this close to the start of spring training preparations.
“For the first time in years,” he added, “I don’t really know how we’re going to do it.”
Despite the lack of clarity, Cora did acknowledge that, as of now, he doesn’t see any other players on the roster who realistically profile as leadoff hitters beyond Anthony and Duran. That statement suggests that, barring an external addition or an unexpected breakout, the top spot in the order will likely come down to those two internal options.
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In the meantime, Cora’s primary focus is on the broader structure of the lineup rather than any single slot. One of his guiding principles has long been to create balance—particularly when it comes to alternating left-handed and right-handed hitters in a way that makes life difficult for opposing managers and bullpens.
“I still believe we’re very left-handed,” Cora said. “That hasn’t really changed.”
At the same time, he was quick to point out that being left-handed heavy did not prevent the Red Sox from producing offensively last season. Despite the imbalance, the team finished fifth in the American League in runs scored, demonstrating that lineup construction is about more than just handedness.
“We were very left-handed last year, and we still scored runs,” he noted. “So it’s not like that automatically becomes a problem.”
Still, Cora believes there is room for improvement, particularly when it comes to creating a more dynamic and versatile lineup that can adjust to different matchups over the course of a long season. Achieving that balance, he said, could come in a variety of ways.
“We just have to create balance,” Cora explained. “That can happen through trades, free agency, or developing guys internally. We’ll see where we’re at once we get to Fort Myers.”
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As the Red Sox prepare for spring training, which will once again take place in Fort Myers, the coming weeks promise to be critical. Decisions made between now and Opening Day will not only determine the final shape of the roster but also influence how Cora ultimately arranges his batting order.
While Contreras appears locked into his role as the cleanup hitter, nearly everything else remains fluid. The leadoff spot, in particular, figures to be one of the most closely watched battles of the spring, especially as Anthony continues to establish himself at the major league level and Duran looks to reclaim his place as one of the team’s most disruptive offensive weapons.
For now, Cora is embracing the uncertainty. Rather than forcing decisions prematurely, he is content to let competition, performance, and roster development guide the process. In a sport defined by adjustments and evolution, that flexibility may prove to be one of the Red Sox’s greatest strengths heading into 2026.
And while many questions remain unanswered, one thing is clear: the vision for this lineup is beginning to take shape—even if the finer details have yet to fall into place.
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