Travis Shaw

Boston Red Sox third baseman Travis Shaw fields a ground out by New York Mets' Eric Campbell in the seventh inning March 24 in Fort Myers, Fla. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Travis Shaw and Pablo Sandoval are competing for the Boston Red Sox starting third base position with 10 days remaining until Opening Day.

Shaw potentially gained the edge Thursday when manager John Farrell announced Sandoval will be sidelined for a few days with back stiffness after diving for a ball during Tuesday's game.

But even if Sandoval returns in time and wins the starting job, Shaw still has a decent chance to play 130 or more games for the 2016 Boston Red Sox combined between third, first base and left field. That's because Sandoval, first baseman Hanley Ramirez and left fielder Rusney Castillo all are prone to injury.

Sandoval, who appeared in 126 games in 2015, has the potential to suffer more injuries and similar stiffness like he has right now because of being overweight.

Ramirez has spent significant time on the DL four of the past five seasons. He appeared in just 92 games in 2011, 86 games in 2013, 128 games in 2014 and 105 games in 2015.

Castillo has dealt with several nagging injuries since signing with Boston in August 2014. He changed his offseason workout to prevent injuries, but whether he can remain healthy/durable for a 162-game season is as unpredictable as how well he'll produce offensively. That said, he could lose the left field job at some point to Shaw because he simply can't hit enough to be an everyday major leaguer.

(Chris Young will receive plenty of playing time in left and center).

And Shaw also could outplay Sandoval and take the starting third base job from him at some point during the regular season if Sandoval wins the competition.

Don't forget about Sandoval

Is everyone pulling for Shaw to beat out Sandoval? Not everybody, but Shaw has become well liked among Red Sox fans. (Travis Shaw knows Boston Red Sox fans are wild about him on Twitter; yes, he checks his notifications.)

Still, don't just forget about Sandoval. He could end up playing the majority of games at third base even if Shaw wins this competition coming out of camp.

If Ramirez continues his injury trend, Shaw will need to shift to first base, creating an opening for Sandoval at third.

Ramirez's injury concerns are incredibly alarming. Not enough is being made of his injury history in recent years. More is being written about how his transition to first base looks like a success and how he needs to return to being more of a line drive hitter in 2016 after his offensive decline in 2015.

And Brock Holt also will be crucial as always, too. As a super utility player, Holt appeared in 106 games in 2014 and 129 games in 2015. Holt still can appear in 110 or more games even if Shaw plays 130, factoring in all seven positions Holt can play.

Is Shaw for real?

Plenty of players have put together strong spring trainings and the success hasn't translated to the regular season. Jackie Bradley Jr. forced his way onto the 25-man roster in 2013 by slashing .419/.507/.613/1.120 in spring training. He then proved unready for the big leagues in April.

But Shaw had success in the majors last year and he feels his sample size in the majors last year wasn't small. "I mean, 250 plate appearances I think is a little bit more than a small sample size for me personally," he said.

He also feels like he can produce legit power if he's an everyday player.

"I try to stay left-center field as much as I can because that just keeps me on as many pitches as I can," he said earlier in camp. "I would say I'm more of a doubles-hitter. But honestly, home run-wise, next couple years -- with a full season obviously if I got to play every day -- realistically I would think at least 20 to 25. I feel my swing is good enough to where I'll be able to pop 20 to 25 out."