FORT MYERS, Fla. — It was Truck Day at Fenway South on Wednesday. Only this time, workers were loading up equipment to be shipped back to Fenway Park in preparation for the season.
The Sox have only 10 days and 11 games remaining in spring training. They leave Florida on March 30 then play games against the Nationals in Washington and Annapolis, Md., before coming home.
The Sox have 49 players in camp, nearly twice as many as they will have on April 3 for Opening Day against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Fenway Park. Here’s a projection on how the roster will be assembled before the season starts:
STARTING LINEUP (9)
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Andrew Benintendi LF
Mookie Betts RF
Hanley Ramirez DH
Xander Bogaerts SS
Jackie Bradley Jr. CF
Pablo Sandoval 3B
Mitch Moreland 1B
Sandy Leon C
Explanation: The biggest question entering camp with this group was whether Sandoval could play third base. He has so far responded better than could have been reasonably expected, hitting .349 with a 1.015 OPS.
Sandoval is moving well defensively and even hustling on the bases. The Sox hope to see more at-bats against lefthanders before camp ends to get a better gauge of his righthanded swing, but he’s their man even if manager John Farrell won’t say so officially. Then again, why should he?
Ramirez has yet to play first base because of a stiff right shoulder, which is a concern as he will not be a full-time DH. But he should be on the field soon.
Leon has looked overmatched at the plate (6 for 23, no extra-base hits, five strikeouts) but still has Farrell’s confidence based on his body of work last season. Christian Vazquez will press him for playing time.
Moreland’s made-for-Fenway swing will win him plenty of fans. He has been one of the more impressive hitters in camp.
Bogaerts has returned from the World Baseball Classic. Now the Sox can start using lineups and experimenting with how Benintendi fits best.
BENCH (4)
Brock Holt UTIL
Josh Rutledge INF
Christian Vazquez C
Chris Young OF/DH
Explanation: Somebody is going to get unjustly left off the roster and that could be Marco Hernandez.
The 24-year-old infielder has been one of the most productive hitters in Florida and Arizona. Through 16 games and 45 at-bats he has a 1.268 OPS thanks to 11 extra-base hits and six walks.
Hernandez is profiling like an everyday player down the road. But for now, he’s stuck. He’s a lefthanded hitter and the Sox could use the righthanded-hitting Rutledge to play third base against lefthanders. Because he was a Rule 5 pick, not including Rutledge on the roster means losing him.
Coming out of spring training, teams prefer to maintain control of as many players as possible. That probably means Hernandez starts out in Triple A. Third catcher Blake Swihart will suffer the same fate.
Keep an eye on how they’ll use Young. Farrell has said he’ll start against any lefthander they face. That will largely be as a DH but perhaps in center field, too. Bradley (.239 against lefthanders last season) will need to prove he belongs in center on those days.
STARTING ROTATION (4)
Rick Porcello RHP
Chris Sale LHP
Eduardo Rodriguez LHP
Steven Wright RHP
Explanation: The Sox do not need a No. 5 starter until April 9, the sixth game of the season. They could place Drew Pomeranz on the disabled list at the end of camp and activate him that day.
By doing that, the Sox can carry an extra relief pitcher. It may not necessarily matter, but there’s no downside to it.
Sale, Rodriguez, and Wright have all pitched well. Rodriguez in particular has been consistently strong and appears to have hit the maturity level the Sox have been seeking.
Porcello has been knocked around a bit (nine runs on 16 hits over 10 innings in three starts). But that’s actually better than last season, when he went to win the Cy Young Award.
Porcello thrives on meticulous preparation for his starts, studying video and statistical trends of opposing hitters. Those steps aren’t taken in spring training. For him, it’s all just getting his body ready for when the games matter.
Sale will give the Red Sox the nasty edge missing since the mishandled departure of Jon Lester. The lefthander has a no-nonsense personality that should thrive in the American League East. He wants the challenge that’s coming.
This alignment would be bad news for Kyle Kendrick, who is 3-0 with a 1.96 earned run average in six games. But Kendrick cannot opt out of his minor league deal until June 15. The Sox can hold him in Pawtucket until needed.
Kendrick has been impressive in spring training, but this also is a pitcher who wasn’t in the majors last season and had a 5.11 ERA and 1.42 WHIP from 2013-15.
Remember, once Kendrick comes up he cannot be sent back down without being first placed on waivers. The Sox may want further evidence before they run him out there.
BULLPEN (8)
Fernando Abad LHP
Matt Barnes RHP
Heath Hembree RHP
Joe Kelly RHP
Craig Kimbrel RHP
Robbie Ross Jr. LHP
Tyler Thornburg RHP
Chandler Shepherd RHP
Explanation: This is a bit of a jumble. It’s uncertain whether Thornburg will be ready for the season because of shoulder issues. It’s also unclear whether they’ll carry seven relievers or eight.
If the Sox pick a reliever out of the pile to carry for the first five games, it could be Shepherd, Ben Taylor or perhaps a lefthander. The makeup of the early schedule with the Pittsburgh and Detroit lineups suggest an extra righthander would make more sense, so watch how Taylor and Shepherd pitch over the final 10 days of games.
Kelly becomes the eighth-inning man if Thornburg isn’t available. Kelly probably is regardless, at least to start. Even if he makes the roster, Thornburg probably won’t be deemed ready for high-leverage situations right away. Hembree and Barnes have had strong camps. Kimbrel looks ready, too.
DISABLED LIST
Roenis Elias LHP
Drew Pomeranz LHP
David Price LHP
Carson Smith LHP
Explanation: Elias was ticketed for Pawtucket before he pulled a muscle on his right side while warming up for a start. He’s likely to be on the DL for much of April, then will be activated and optioned to the minors.
Pomeranz, as explained earlier, could be on the DL for roster purposes to start. He has thrown only four innings in Grapefruit League games.
Smith has started throwing off the mound as he makes his return from Tommy John surgery. He will remain in extended spring training then work his way back via a rehabilitation assignment in the minors. June is a reasonable goal for Smith to return to the majors.
Price hasn’t pitched since Feb. 28 because of an elbow issue. Two specialists said Price does not need surgery, but the fact he has yet to start a concerted throwing program seems troubling. Once Price does start throwing, assuming that happens, he may not be ready until well into May.
Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com.
