FORT MYERS, Fla. — With spring training games officially underway, we’ve finally gotten a chance to see the 2026 Red Sox take the field and show off what they can do.

Who has stood out through the first week of Grapefruit League play? And who has taken a step back? Here’s a look at where things stand heading into the weekend.

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Three up

Connelly Early, LHP

The competition for Boston’s No. 5 starter job is a long way from being decided, but Connelly Early has put himself in a terrific spot.

This past Monday the rookie left-hander looked sharp in his spring debut, throwing two scoreless, hitless innings while allowing one walk with one strikeout against the Tampa Bay Rays. Early’s velocity was a tick up from where it sat at the end of 2025 — noteworthy given that it was just his first start of the spring — and he was highly efficient, throwing 18 of his 27 pitches for strikes.

Early has also put on 15 pounds of muscle this winter, which he and the club hope will allow him to maintain that increased velocity deeper into games and into the season.

Has Early become the frontrunner to make the Opening Day rotation? The rookie faces stiff competition and probably still has a better chance of starting in Worcester than Boston, but after finishing last year as one of the club’s best available starters, he’s done everything he can do prove he still belongs.

Jarren Duran, OF

Four games is a tiny sample size, but it’s hard not to get excited about what Jarren Duran has been able to do so far.

Through his first four games Duran has gone 5 for 10 (.500) with two doubles, two walks and two strikeouts. He hit both doubles in his spring debut, and Friday he took former Red Sox ace Chris Sale deep with a 409-feet home run to the right field bleachers.

That was particularly encouraging given that Duran only batted .211 with a .600 OPS against lefties last season.

Duran will soon leave to join Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, so he’ll get some opportunities to showcase his skills in a much more intense atmosphere than what’s available on a typical day at JetBlue Park.

Willson Contreras, 1B

Could Willson Contreras be the right-handed power bat the Red Sox were looking for after all? His career power totals may not jump off the page, but there is good reason to believe he might be in line for a huge season at Fenway.

Case in point, his home run on Tuesday.

With two outs in the bottom of the fifth Contreras drove an opposite-field rocket 385 feet to right center field for a two-run home run. You rarely see right-handed hitters going deep to that part of the park, and certainly not clearing the Red Sox bullpen, so Contreras being able to do that within the first week of spring games is a great sign.

Three down

Johan Oviedo, RHP

Johan Oviedo should probably still be considered the frontrunner for the No. 5 rotation spot, but this first week definitely hasn’t gone great.

First, Oviedo endured a rocky first outing on Wednesday in which he walked three batters over 1 2/3 innings, a performance Alex Cora described as “erratic.”

Then, it came to light that Oviedo wasn’t feeling well and wound up missing the next two days of workouts with an illness.

Maybe this is just a bump in the road, but considering that Oviedo still has minor league options remaining, his position on the depth chart is by no means secure.

Payton Tolle, LHP

While Early looked sharp in his spring debut, Payton Tolle’s first two outings haven’t gone as smoothly.

Tolle’s debut last Saturday went fine. He had one strikeout over two innings with no walks, and the only damage he allowed was a solo home run to Minnesota’s Royce Lewis. Cora was happy with his showing, but Tolle felt he could have done better.

But the rookie’s second appearance on Thursday was much rockier. Tolle came on in the sixth and allowed two runs on three hits over 1 2/3 innings. He also hit two batters and gave up a leadoff double to start his outing.

One silver lining that did come out of the week is Tolle was challenged to put together a USA-themed clubhouse presentation and knocked it out of the park. Whatever his eventual role winds up being, his place as a fan-favorite is all but assured.

Brendan Rodgers, 2B

With Romy Gonzalez likely to start the season on the injured list, there is potentially an opening on the Red Sox bench. As a former Gold Glove winner with seven years of big league experience, Brendan Rodgers seemed to have as good a chance as anyone to grab it for himself.

But Rodgers has frequently battled injuries throughout his career, and it looks as though he’s been bitten by the injury bug again.

Rodgers left Wednesday’s game with a right shoulder injury suffered after reaching for the ball following a diving stop. The second baseman underwent an MRI on Thursday, and while the team is still awaiting the results, the injury will most likely take Rodgers out of the running for an Opening Day job if he’s forced to miss any extended period of time.