FORT MYERS, Fla. \u2014 Typical early spring training lineups feature a hodgepodge of regulars and non-roster invitees. But on Sunday, in the second Grapefruit League game, Alex Cora offered a glimpse of a lineup that likely will feature many similarities to the one with which he opens the season on March 26 in Cincinnati.<\/p>\n
Cora alternated lefties and righties through the top six lineup slots, with Roman Anthony (L) followed by Trevor Story (R), Jarren Duran (L), Willson Contreras (R), Wilyer Abreu (L), and Caleb Durbin (R). The bottom third of the lineup featured righthanded hitters Ceddanne Rafaela, Carlos Narv\u00e1ez, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa (who could be replaced in the lineup by Marcelo Mayer \u2014 a lefthanded hitter who might reconfigure the bottom third of the lineup).<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something I have envisioned and it just happened that for the first time in years, what you might see early is what you\u2019re probably going to see on Opening Day,\u201d said Cora.<\/p>\n
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Story\u2019s placement in the second slot is particularly noteworthy. Last year, Story was an aggressive swinger who emerged as the Red Sox\u2019 foremost run producer, mostly from the Nos. 4 and 5 spots. He led the team with 25 homers and 96 RBI, but with a .308 OBP \u2014 short of the .334 OBP featured across MLB in the No. 2 hole.<\/p>\n
But Cora pointed to Story\u2019s finishing kick over the last four months \u2014 a .287\/.331\/.494 line with 19 homers and 22 steals over the final 103 games \u2014 as well as his combination of power and speed and left\/right balance the basis for his placement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat he did last year, the last [four] months, he was one of the best hitters in the big leagues,\u201d said Cora. \u201cHe\u2019s going to be surrounded by lefties, which, at one point [the other team is] probably going to bring a lefty for Roman and he\u2019ll face a lefty and he can cash in.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Story got just 11 starts in the two-hole in 2025 (with 120 starts in the fourth through sixth spots), he has more games hitting second than any other lineup position, with star-level performances as a regular No. 2 hitter for the Rockies in 2019-20. He\u2019s hoping to build off the 2025 campaign by returning to those career peaks.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt like I reset the baseline a little bit with what I can do as a player offensively. I know there\u2019s another level for me in there, just to build off those last four months,\u201d said Story. \u201cIt gives me confidence. It gives me momentum. We rode that into the offseason and I\u2019m excited to put a full season of that together.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Brayan Bello is working to incorporate a curveball into his mix this spring, his most pressing assignment is to re-establish the feel of his changeup. Throughout his professional career, Bello\u2019s changeup was his best pitch \u2013 a lefty-neutralizing offering that yielded ground balls and swings-and-misses. But in 2025, he threw the pitch harder than he had in the past and it had less depth, ultimately missing fewer barrels.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 91-92 changeup last year was a bad sinker, and I think lefties took advantage of it,\u201d said Cora.<\/p>\n
What happened?<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year I was working on adding a cutter [and] a sweeper, so I lost the feeling for the changeup,\u201d Bello said through a translator. \u201cThis year I have both of those pitches locked in, [and] I was able to work on the changeup [in the offseason].\u201d<\/p>\n
In his first Grapefruit League outing on Sunday, Bello threw a changeup with slightly less velocity, less spin, and more sink than what he typically featured in 2025. Though his line \u2014 1\u2153 innings four runs, four hits, one walk, two strikeouts \u2014 looked poor, it was made worse by some well-placed mis-hits. Bello, whose fastball was mostly 93-95 miles per hour, expressed satisfaction with his overall mix, including the changeup and a pair of curveballs he spun.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like it\u2019s been a little bit of a challenge facing lefties in the previous years, and I feel that with these two pitches, I\u2019m able to compete better against lefties,\u201d said Bello, who has been tagged by lefties for a .269\/.347\/.434 line in his big league career.<\/p>\n
News of Team USA\u2019s hockey victory over Canada in the gold medal game filtered onto the backfields in Fort Myers, with hitting coach Pete Fatse and Story raising their arms in triumph in the middle of batting practice . . . The Red Sox honored the late Mike Greenwell \u2014 a Fort Myers native who passed away in October at age 62 \u2014 prior to Sunday\u2019s Grapefruit League home opener. Greenwell\u2019s wife, sons, and grandchildren were recognized on the field, followed by a moment of silence. Greenwell\u2019s former Red Sox teammates, Jim Rice and Dwight Evans, took part in the ceremonial first pitch. <\/p>\n
Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him @alexspeier<\/a>.<\/p>\n