The Boston Red Sox made it back to the playoffs last season for the first time since 2021. However, they played just 3 games in the postseason as the Red Sox were eliminated by the New York Yankees in the Wild Card round. Manager Alex Cora has high hopes for this year's version of the Red Sox, and much of the reason for the team's improvement will lie on the shoulders of young phenom Roman Anthony.
Roman Anthony on batting in the #RedSox leadoff spot this season: "If that's what A.C. feels like gives us the best chance then I'm all in." 😤 pic.twitter.com/tkp9bEsLQy
— NESN (@NESN) February 21, 2026
The Red Sox promoted Anthony from Triple-A Worcester early in the 2025 season. Anthony regularly made hard contract and got on base consistently. Anthony slashed.292/.396/.463 with 8 home runs and 32 RBI.
His rookie season came to an end when he suffered an oblique strain. If Cora had been able to write Anthony's name in the lineup during the postseason, the Red Sox clearly would have had a much better opportunity to win that playoff series.
New role for Anthony in 2026
The Red Sox manager is planning to have Anthony lead off this season. He should be able to deliver power to the lineup, and quite a few teams are inserting their best hitters to the leadoff spot. That move is fine with Anthony, and he will gladly bat at any spot Cora decides to write his name on the lineup card.
“I ultimately just want to do anything to help the team win,” Anthony said, per NESN. “If that's what AC says gives us the best chance, that's good for me. I take a lot of pride in getting the boys going and hitting the ball hard.”
