BOSTON, MA – The Boston Red Sox today announced that 2007 World Series Champion and 2023 Red Sox Hall of Fame Inductee Jonathan Papelbon will host the Friday evening welcome event at the 8^th annual Red Sox Winter Weekend in Springfield, MA, taking place January 19-20.

The Friday night event will open with the introduction of the 2024 players and coaches followed by “The Cinco Ocho Show with Jonathan Papelbon,” a late-night talk show-style segment.  Alongside co-host Tom Caron of NESN, Papelbon will lead conversations about the upcoming season and the state of the club. The evening will conclude with a reflection on the life of Tim Wakefield. 

Tickets for Winter Weekend are still available by visiting redsox.com/winterweekend. Mastercard is the preferred payment method of the Boston Red Sox.

On Saturday, January 20, in addition to a fan fest area and panel discussions throughout the day, autograph sessions with current Red Sox players, coaches, and alumni will take place at MGM Springfield and the MassMutual Center. Fans who have purchased Winter Weekend tickets can register for autograph sessions by visiting redsox.com/winterweekend.

Players, coaches, alumni, and prospects attending Winter Weekend include:

• Players: Wilyer Abreu, Brayan Bello, Brennan Bernardino, Triston Casas, Cooper Criswell, Jarren Duran, Vaughn Grissom, David Hamilton, Tanner Houck, Joe Jacques, Zack Kelly, Chris Martin, Reese McGuire, Chris Murphy, Tyler O’Neill, Nick Pivetta, Ceddanne Rafaela, Rob Refsnyder, Pablo Reyes, John Schreiber, Trevor Story, Enmanuel Valdez, Brandon Walter, Zack Weiss, Garrett Whitlock, Josh Winckowski, Connor Wong.

• Coaches: Alex Cora, Andrew Bailey, Pete Fatse, Andy Fox, Kyle Hudson, Luis Ortiz, Ben Rosenthal, Jason Varitek, Ramon Vazquez, Kevin Walker.

• Alumni: Wade Boggs, Dennis Eckersley, Carlton Fisk, Jonny Gomes, Fred Lynn, Pedro Martinez, Lou Merloni, David Ortiz, Jim Rice, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jonny Gomes, Luis Tiant.

• Prospects: Roman Anthony, Richard Fitts, Wikelman Gonzalez, Nathan Hickey, Marcelo Mayer, Chase Meidroth, Luis Perales, Justin Slaten, Kyle Teel, Nick Yorke.

Winter Weekend is a two-day hot stove event that takes place across multiple venues in downtown Springfield with activations at MGM Springfield, the official Resort Casino of the Boston Red Sox, and the MassMutual Center.