Apr 17, 2026
Red Sox Foundation Announces Player Captains for 2026 Season
For Immediate Release
April 15, 2026
CROCHET, HOUCK, NARVÁEZ, SANDOVAL, AND WHITLOCK
TO SERVE AS RED SOX FOUNDATION CAPTAINS FOR 2026 SEASON
BOSTON, MA- The Red Sox Foundation today announced that Garrett Crochet, Tanner Houck, Carlos Narváez, Patrick Sandoval, and Garrett Whitlock will serve as 2026 Captains for the team charity’s core programs and partners: Fenway Park Learning Lab (Crochet), Nike RBI (Narváez), Red Sox Scholars (Sandoval), Home Base (Houck), and the Jimmy Fund (Whitlock). This season, several of the players’ partners will also play an active role in strengthening engagement and broadening the impact of these core programs across New England.
“It’s incredibly meaningful to see our players and their partners so deeply invested in the work of the Foundation. Their willingness to show up, build genuine relationships, and champion these community programs and partners brings our mission to life,” said Bekah Salwasser, Executive Director of the Red Sox Foundation and EVP of Social Impact for the Boston Red Sox. “Together, they help us create lasting, meaningful impact for the individuals and families we serve across New England.”
Players and their partners will serve as ambassadors for the core programs and partners by promoting and participating in Foundation events and appearances throughout the season and supporting the Foundation’s commitment to drive positive change in the community. Details on each of the programs are below.
Fenway Park Learning Lab: Garrett Crochet
The Red Sox Foundation, Fenway Park Tours, and the MassMutual Foundation have partnered on the Fenway Park Learning Lab, a program providing 6th grade Boston Public Schools students with an immersive, in-person learning experience at Fenway Park. The program combines their classroom-based math, science, language arts, and history lessons with a fun and engaging, co-designed learning experience throughout the ballpark.
Nike RBI: Carlos Narváez
The Red Sox Foundation Nike RBI program strives to ensure every young person in New England has access and opportunity to play baseball and softball by providing team equipment, uniforms, coaches, field access and umpires at little to no cost to players and their families. The program also supports a cohort of dedicated coaches who use baseball and softball as a platform to teach core values of teamwork, respect, and leadership. Currently, Nike RBI operates in Boston, Chelsea, and Lawrence.
Red Sox Scholars: Patrick Sandoval
The Red Sox Scholars is an award-winning college success program, presented by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, that empowers Boston’s youth to pursue their goals to, through, and beyond college by providing mentorship and access to academic, professional, and social opportunities. Each year, 12 students in the 7th grade at the Boston Public Schools are welcomed into the program and receive a $10,000 scholarship. With the support of PSG Equity, the Official Scholar Success Partner, the Foundation’s Program Team has expanded programming and mentorship since the pandemic.
Home Base: Tanner Houck
Home Base, a Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Program, is dedicated to healing the invisible wounds for Veterans, Service Members and their Families through world-class clinical care, wellness, education, and research at no cost. Since 2009, Home Base has supported over 50,000 Veterans and their families.
The Jimmy Fund: Garrett Whitlock
The Jimmy Fund is focused on community-based fundraising events and other programs that, solely and directly, benefit Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s lifesaving mission to provide compassionate patient care and groundbreaking cancer research for children and adults.
About the Red Sox Foundation:
The official team charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Red Sox Foundation has awarded more than 7,000 grants since its creation in 2002 and focuses on making a difference in the lives of children, families, Veterans, and communities in need by improving their health, education, and recreational opportunities. Through core partnerships with best-in-class organizations in healthcare, the Red Sox have helped raised over $190 million for cancer treatment and research for The Jimmy Fund, supported more than 50,000 Veterans and their families suffering from the “invisible wounds of war” with the Home Base Program, and helped the Dimock Center serve over 20,000 patients annually with health and human services. The Foundation’s self-run, direct-service education and youth baseball and softball programs have helped 385 Boston Public Schools students with college scholarships and promotes healthy choices and valuable life skills to more than 1,500 youth annually through its Nike RBI baseball and softball program in Boston, Chelsea and Lawrence.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Red Sox Foundation raises funds through special events, corporate sponsorships, and grants. Founded and initially funded by Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry, Chairman Tom Werner, the late Larry Lucchino and their partners, the Red Sox Foundation has won numerous awards for the impact of its innovative programs. In 2010, the Foundation’s Red Sox Scholars program was recognized by Major League Baseball with the first-ever “MLB Commissioner’s Award for Philanthropic Excellence.” In 2009, the Red Sox Foundation was honored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Sports Philanthropy Project with the Patterson Award as the nation’s “Best Team Charity in Sports.” For more information about the foundation, visit redsoxfoundation.org.
–RED SOX–
