Here are the Red Sox prospects worth watching in spring training opener

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The Boston Red Sox' nightmare of an offseason officially ends Friday.

The Red Sox open their 2020 exhibition schedule with their annual matchup against the Northeastern Huskies at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers.

None of Boston's everyday starters will suit up in the Friday afternoon spring training opener; you'll likely see them over the weekend when the Red Sox begin playing major league competition.

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But it does give Sox fans the chance to check out some of the team's top prospects, one of whom just came over from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Mookie Betts trade.

Here's the Red Sox' lineup for the game, which begins at 1:05 p.m. ET:

Marco Hernandez, 2B
Jarren Duran, CF
CJ Chatham, SS
Rusney Castillo, RF
Nick Longhi, 1B
Connor Wong, C
John Andreoli, LF    
Chad De La Guerra, 3B
Juan Centeno, DH

Pitchers: Daniel McGrath, Denyi Reyes, Robinson Leyer, Trevor Hildenberger, Austin Brice

Here are the four players in the lineup most worth watching (besides 32-year-old minor-league mainstay Rusney Castillo, who's entering the final year of his massive contract):

Jarren Duran, CF: The 23-year-old is the seventh-ranked prospect in Boston's system, per SoxProspects.com, and hit .303 in 132 games last season while earning a call-up to Double-A Portland.

CJ Chatham, SS: The Red Sox' 10th-ranked prospect, Chatham has steadily moved up the farm system and hit .302 in a 20-game stint with Triple-A Pawtucket last season. If he has a strong spring, he could be a potential 2020 call-up.

Connor Wong, C: Acquired from L.A. along with Jeter Downs and Alex Verdugo, the 23-year-old joins an intriguing minor-league catching group that includes recent signing Jonathan Lucroy.

Juan Centeno, DH: Centeno re-signed with Boston a minor-league deal this January and could factor into the catcher conversation if he plays well with spring.

As spring training progresses, it will also be worth watching Downs and corner infielder Triston Casas, Boston's only two prospects in MLB.com's Top 100.

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