The final numbers on Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony, in just 71 games played, were impressive. He hit .292 and notched an on-base percentage of .396. He went for a slugging percentage of .463, and had knocked four home runs in the 13 games he played before going out with an oblique injury. Those numbers came despite a rough start in which he batted .114 in his first 15 games — he hit .329 with a .963 OPS in his final 56 games.
He was the rare case in which the hype around him matched the production he showed on the field.
Heading into the 2026 MLB season, the Red Sox will know they’ve got a star in the making in the outfield. Much remains unknown about how the roster will shape up, but Anthony is the one certainty. Except, as manager Alex Cora revealed during an appearance on the MLB Network’s “Foul Territory” show, there are some unknowns about how the Red Sox will use Anthony.
Roman Anthony Could Bat Leadoff for Red Sox in 2026
Cora is not quite sure where Anthony will bat for the Red Sox. He was a catalyst as a leadoff hitter last season, but depending on how the free-agent market shakes out for Boston–will they keep Alex Bregman, and/or sign Pete Alonso or Kyle Schwarber?–he could make sense down further in the order.
“He’s gonna be OK,” Cora said. “I see him hitting on the top of the lineup. It’s gonna be a debate if we are gonna lead him off or hit him second, or hit him fourth, we’ll see what the roster looks like when we get to Cincinnati next year for Opening Day.
“He is a guy who gonna keep getting on base, he is gonna hit for power. I think he was getting to the point that he was hitting the ball in the air.”
Red Sox Will Make OF Decisions
The Red Sox are also not quite sure how the outfield situation will play out, either. The team has incumbent young veterans Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu on board, and all three bring very important positives–Duran is an emotional leader, while Rafaela and Abreu are Gold Glove winners in the outfield.
The Red Sox could trade any of those three, though, to make room for Anthony. And Cora says the team wouldn’t lose much if they did.
“The thing that people don’t realize is, this guy is a great base runner and a good defender. I think he ended up plus-4 as far as defensive runs saved,” Cora said.
“As far as the player, keep him healthy and let him be who he is. We are far away from the best version of Roman Anthony, but the one we have right now and the one we’re going to have next year is really, really good.”
Roman Anthony Will Be ‘Protected’ From Big-Market Expectations
The big issue, though, is that baseball is a fickle game, and it’s entirely possible that Anthony, fresh off signing an eight-year, $130 million contract, could start off 2026 with an injury or a slump. In a pressure-packed market like Boston, the negativity can snowball. Cora said the team will seek to shield Anthony from that.
“One thing we have to be very careful, and this happens in every big market, is like, people put these players on a pedestal and they expect them to carry the offense, carry the franchise to the next level,” Cora said. “And that’s not the case. We have to protect him from that.”
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