This story was excerpted from Ian Browne’s Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

When I arrive in Fort Myers, Fla., on Monday, it will mark the start of my 22nd season covering the Red Sox for MLB.com. Where has the time gone?

One thing I’ve learned throughout these two-plus decades is that there are always a few storylines that wind up as the prevailing themes of Spring Training.

Here are three that jump out at me for this spring:

1) Sale is healthy. Will he stay healthy?
All eyes will be on Chris Sale when Spring Training begins. The veteran left-hander was thrilled to reveal to reporters at Winter Weekend last month that he is fully healthy again.

As the oft-injured pitcher humorously put it, “They put Humpty Dumpty back together.”

But as Sale and the Red Sox have learned in recent years, it matters not how he feels at the start of camp, but if he can make it to the end of it -- on track to be in the rotation come Opening Day, which is something he has been unable to do since 2019.

If Sale can avoid significant injuries and even get close to his previous form, it could help the Red Sox defy preseason prognostications, the bulk of which pick them for fifth place in the American League East. Given that Sale has logged a total of 57 1/3 innings (including postseason) since the end of the 2019 season, it will be interesting to see how many innings the Red Sox will try to get from him if he stays healthy.

2) The arrival of Yoshida
In terms of media hype for a Japanese player, it’s hard to think anything will ever top Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2007. Dice-K’s every move was a storyline that spring. While we never did see the “gyroball” in action, Matsuzaka had a solid rookie season, helping Boston win the World Series. He went 18-3 in his second season before his career faded significantly.

Now, there is great intrigue in two countries to see what type of player Masataka Yoshida can be after the Red Sox signed him to a five-year, $90 million contract and also sent a posting fee of $15.375 million to the Orix Buffaloes.

Yoshida is known for his superb batting eye. Will that translate against Major League pitching? Will the left-handed hitter be able to generate enough power to hit, say, 20 homers in his rookie year? Will his defense be good enough in left field? How will he handle the spotlight?

There are many questions, which will make this a great story to follow.

3) Kiké's quest to take over at short
When Trevor Story underwent significant surgery on his right elbow in early January, it felt like a big blow to the Red Sox, who were counting on the athletic veteran to take over for the departed Xander Bogaerts at shortstop. There is no specific timetable for Story’s return, but he will miss a significant chunk of time in 2023.

Instead of trying to sign or trade for an established shortstop, the Red Sox instead appear poised to give Kiké Hernández the chance to take the job and run with it -- at least until Story gets back.

Hernández has been nothing if not overly versatile in his career, playing every position but catcher. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and manager Alex Cora both recently said Hernández has the ability to be a plus defender at any position he plays due to his first-step quickness. Hernández has started 64 games at short in his career and logged 618 innings, totals that pale in comparison to how much he has played in center field and second base.

It will be interesting to see how well he will adapt to the most important infield position while playing there on a regular basis and how his body will hold up. Hernández thinks playing short will be less taxing. Time will tell.