The return of Joe Ryan
FORT MYERS, Fla. - A year ago, the lockers were taken up by the likes of Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer. Three players who were experiencing big league spring training for the first time, making it clear their goal was break camp with the major league team.
Now, it's where Mikey Romero resides, both physically and mentally.
The 22-year-old has been showing up every day at JetBlue Park, hat almost always turned backwards, staring across the clubhouse at the row of position players who are seemingly locks for the 2026 Red Sox.
He is the former first-rounder, taken by the Red Sox with the 24th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. But starting his professional career with a few injuries, along with the devastation that came with his father passing away almost exactly two years ago, Romero's star has been somewhat drowned out by those other emerging prospects.
But here he is, ready to be highlighted once again.
"I think so, yeah," Romero said when asked if he thought people were sleeping on him. "You know, first-round pick in '22 and then got hurt, missed my first full year in '23 and then '24 and '25 I felt like balled out. So it's just kind of like it is what it is. I've never been a guy who needs the spotlight. I feel like I have plenty of talent to be a big-leaguer for a long time, and I feel like I can be an All-Star. I feel like I can do all those things. It doesn't bother me if people sleep on me. It's just one of those things where, when an opportunity arises, I'm going to take advantage of it."
It's something he did a year ago when getting a chance to appear in four Grapefruit League games last year, notching four hits in six at-bats while going deep in his only start, against the Blue Jays in Dunedin.
The lefty-hitting infielder would go on to have a solid 2025 season, splitting time between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, primarily playing second and third base.
Romero is noticeably stronger, having entered camp at 215 pounds after finishing the 2025 season at 203. (He was drafted out of high school at 180 pounds.) Heading into these first round of spring training games, he has seemingly done his part. The other stuff - such as roster and depth chart maneuvering - wasn't part of his offseason equation.
"If you're on social media, you're gonna see it," said Romero of all the rumors involving how the Red Sox's infield might be shaping up. "I have social media, but like, it's one of those things where, like, you just don't put much thought into it. Everyone tries to play GM, and as a player, that's probably the worst thing you can do. So for me, I'm just, you know, looking to play baseball. It's the same game I've been playing since I was younger, and I just look to do that, and wherever that takes me is where I'll be."
For now, just like the three players (Anthony, Mayer, and Campbell) who were laser-focused on making the big league club a year ago, Romero is eyeing the ultimate landing spot come the end of March.
"My goal coming into campus is to break camp with the team," he said. "I think that if that wasn't my goal, there'd be a problem, you know. I have a lot of high expectations for myself this year. I want to get to the big leagues. I want to stay there. I want to have a great season in the big leagues. I want to help the team win. And I think that to not have those aspirations would be ... If you're a young player like me, and don't have those aspirations, I'd question, like, why you wouldn't have those aspirations? So I think, like, the biggest thing is just, you know, we're in a clubhouse full of such talented players, and you're in an organization like the Red Sox, you're gonna have to compete every day for a spot, and that's just what it is. You know, nothing's gonna be handed to you, no matter who you are."