The regular season doesn’t start until Thursday, but spring training is already over for the Red Sox.
Instead, they’re in Arlington for a pair of exhibition games with the Texas Rangers before continuing their journey to the west coast, where they’ll begin their 2024 campaign with 10 games against the Seattle Mariners, Oakland A’s, and Los Angeles Angels.
But first, here’s what you need to know about this two-game set:
Red Sox vs Rangers game times and how to watch
First pitch Monday night is at 8:05 p.m. ET, followed by 2:05 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Games will be broadcast on NESN and Bally Sports Southwest Extra, and can be heard on the radio: WEEI 93.7 for the Sox and 105.3 The Fan, KFLC 1270 for the Rangers.
Red Sox starting pitchers
Garrett Whitlock has the ball for the first contest of this two-game set. He’s coming off a strong spring, which earned him a spot in the starting rotation; in five preseason starts, he allowed seven runs (six earned) on 13 hits, but only issued two walks and struck out 16 batters across 15 ⅔ innings.
Stolen from the Yankees in the Rule 5 Draft, Whitlock debuted with the ‘21 Sox, and put together an excellent rookie season. Working entirely out of the bullpen that first year, he posted a 1.96 ERA across 46 outings, with 11 games finished and a pair of saves. In 73 ⅓ regular-season innings, he only allowed 16 earned runs (22 total), walked 17 batters, and struck out 81.
Over the last two seasons, he’s worked both as a starter and reliever, with mixed results and injuries. He owns a career 4.76 ERA and 1.290 WHIP across 19 starts, compared to a 2.65 ERA and 1.048 WHIP over 80 relief appearances.
Richard Fitts is currently scheduled to start Tuesday’s game. He’s expected to open the season in Triple-A Worcester, but is with the big-league club for these exhibition games.
Rangers starting pitchers
Left-hander Jacob Latz is on the bump for the Rangers Monday night. The southpaw, 27, made his big-league debut with a single start in August 2021, but has spent most of the last two seasons in Triple-A. He made three scoreless appearances for the Rangers last year, allowing one hit over 6 ⅓ innings with three walks and five strikeouts.
Over six spring training appearances (6 ⅓ innings), he allowed two earned runs on five hits, walked five, and struck out six.
Check back for Tuesday’s pitching info.
Red Sox lineup (March 25)
Jarren Duran, LF
Rafael Devers, 3B
Trevor Story, SS
Tyler O’Neill, RF
Wilyer Abreu, DH
Ceddanne Rafaela, CF
Enmanuel Valdez, 2B
Bobby Dalbec, 1B
Reese McGuire, C
Check back for Tuesday’s Red Sox lineup.
Rangers lineup (March 25)
Marcus Semien, 2B
Corey Seager, SS (L)
Evan Carter, LF (L)
Adolis García, RF
Josh Jung, 3B
Wyatt Langford, DH
Jonah Heim, C (S)
Jared Walsh, 1B (L)
Leody Taveras, CF (S)
Check back for Tuesday’s Rangers lineup.
Red Sox injury and roster updates
With Vaughn Grissom (groin strain) starting the season on the injured list and remaining in Fort Myers to rehab, Enmanuel Valdez will see a lot of action at second base.
Grissom missed the entire slate of spring training games, but has been taking batting practice outside, Alex Cora told reporters over the weekend. He could see game action in 7-10 days, and the Red Sox expect that he’ll be ready to be activated before the end of April.
The Red Sox moved Lucas Giolito (elbow surgery) to the 60-day injured list on Sunday. It’s a formality at this point, as the right-hander is expected to miss the entire season.
The Sox signed Chase Anderson to a Major League deal after he triggered the opt-out clause in his Pittsburgh Pirates contract on Friday. The 36-year-old righty offers Boston depth both in the rotation and in a multi-inning relief role.
Upcoming Red Sox games
After these two exhibition games in Texas, the Red Sox will open the regular season in Seattle, with a four-game set against the Mariners. Opening night is Thursday, Mar. 28 at 10:10 p.m. ET. followed by 9:40 p.m. ET games on Friday and Saturday, and the series finale at 4:10 p.m. ET on Sunday.
The road trip continues with three games in Oakland (Apr. 1-3), the first off-day on Thursday, Apr. 4, and a weekend series in Anaheim (Apr. 5-7). They have another off-day on Monday, Apr. 8 before their home opener on Tuesday, Apr. 9.