FORT MYERS, Fla. -- If you liked the look of Wednesday's Red Sox lineup, here's some good news -- you'll likely be seeing a lot of it.
Here's how the Red Sox looked for their game with the defending world champion Atlanta Braves, a game the Sox won 10-7.
Kike Hernandez CF
Rafael Devers 3B
Xander Bogaerts SS
J,D. Martinez DH
Alex Verdugo LF
Trevor Story 2B
Bobby Dalbec 1B
Jackie Bradley Jr. CF
Christian Vazquez C
Asked prior to the game whether it could be the one utilized in next week's opener at Yankee Stadium, Alex Cora answered in the affirmative.
"Very close,'' said Cora. "Especially early on. There's going to be certain days when (Story) is not going to play, schedule-wise. I like the top six, creating balance. We have the two lefties (Verdugo and Devers) that are going to play every day and then a platoon guy (Bradley), so we'll spread them out and protect them. I'm loving Raffy hitting second. He loved it in '19. There's going to be a few times he'll hit lower, probably against lefties. But against righties, that's where he's going to be.
"Dugie when he did toward the end of that season in that (fifth) spot, there's a comfort level. Trevor is just another bat. It really doesn't matter where we put him. We can have him leading off, with Kike hitting sixth. It's still a dangerous lineup. One thing I'm looking forward to is giving him the (freedom) to do whatever he wants in that spot on the basepaths. Obviously, you've got to be very careful. In that spot, we can just let him be, and have him running the bases and stealing bases and set up the lower third of the lineup.
"So that's the way I envision it -- splitting the lefties, protecting the lefties, and at the same time, let (Story) get his feet wet. Let him be early in the season.''
Cora added that against lefties, he would likely move Story up to second, with Devers dropped to fourth and Martinez fifth, Dalbec sixth and Verudgo seventh.
Either way, it's a packed lineup from top to bottom.
"I looked at the board and I was like, 'Man, we have a sick lineup,' '' said Story.
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Story made his Grapefruit League debut for the Sox, which had been delayed a few days after he returned home to Texas for the birth of his first child.
Story drew a walk in the first inning, struck out with two runners on to end the second and delivered a run-scoring single to left in the fourth.
"It was fun to be able to get out there and be with the boys,'' said Story, "play in a real game. It was good to get that first one out of the way, but it felt good to just get into the flow of the game.''
Story may only have another handful of chances to play in games down here, but believes he'll be prepared for the opener next week.
"I think my off-season work is going to serve me well,'' he said. "We knew it was going to be a shorter spring, so we practiced accordingly.''
Playing second base in the big leagues is a new experience for Story, and he didn't get a lot of chances Wednesday. Still, he's making the transition well.
"It felt good,'' Story said. "Obviously, I'm getting more comfortable there. Mostly at shortstop, I'm usually moving and throwing to my left, pretty much. At second, I have to pivot and have some good footwork toward the right. That's a little different, but it's something I'm getting comfortable with.''
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Tanner Houck has had a rough spring when it comes to control. Before Wednesday, he had issued eight walks in just five innings, and while he didn't walk anyone yesterday in four innings, he did hit three batters and threw a wild pitch.
"It's very similar to (what he went through) last year (in spring training),'' said Cora. "Hopefully, the last one is a better one. He's been working on his mechanics. His timing is off. He was talking about his landing and where the arm is, is off. But he still has some time to work. He's got one more, work in between starts and hopefully he can get it right.''
Houck thought he performed better, despite the occasional control lapses.
"I felt a lot better especially out of the stretch,'' he said. "I didn't try to overdo it. I just tried to pound the zone and go right after hitters.''
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With most of the big free agents off the board, there's an expectation that there could still be lots of moves in the next week, with some trades made, waiver claims, etc.
"We've still got a week,'' said Cora. "I don't think there's going to be a blockbuster kind of things. But there's going to be role players that are going to move, just because of their contract situations. Also, there's a lot of veterans that have their (spring) opt-outs and all that and they're probably going to end up with other teams.''
Asked if he thought he had the basis of his Opening Day roster already in camp, Cora said: "I believe it's here. But maybe we can add.''
"I think it's more than likely (trade activity picks up),'' said Chaim Bloom. "It's such a unique spring. We may see some consequential deals (being made in the industry in the final week). But it will probably be (smaller things).''
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Cora declined to identify a closer for the back end of the bullpen.
"April 7th, you'll see it'' said Cora. "We're still working with our pitching staff. I think guys are throwing the ball well. They'll settle into roles. I don't want to know (Aaron Boone) already what we're going to do.''
Cora's impressed with what he's seen from Kutter Crawford, who has been impressive in camp, and could be in line for a relief role.
"He has good stuff,'' said Cora. "He's throwing 97 mph with a good cutter, a good split. He's in the mix. We're going to try to take the best 28, or the best 28 that fit the program right now. We believe he's really good. Stuff-wise, he's one of the best that we have. He still has a few innings.''
Meanwhile, Hansel Robles, who was signed two weeks ago and has been delayed by via issues, is expected to arrive in the area Thursday night.