"Roman Anthony will serve as the Red Sox' leadoff hitter this season, manager Alex Cora told reporters on Saturday. The news isn't much of a surprise, with Cora giving an understandable reason why the young outfielder will hit first for Boston in 2026. "It can be 1-0 very quick or it's a quality at-bat," Cora told reporters, via MassLive's Christopher Smith."
"Anthony showed veteran-like poise at the plate as a rookie in 2025. His 13.2 percent walk rate would've ranked 14th in baseball last season if he had enough at-bats to qualify. That helped him develop a highly impressive .396 on-base percentage, which would've been tied for the third-best mark in the majors had he registered enough at-bats in 2025. As Anthony emerged as a top hitter in his rookie season, he quickly found his way to the top of the Red Sox' lineup."
Roman Anthony will be Boston's leadoff hitter to open the 2026 regular season. He produced a 13.2 percent walk rate and a .396 on-base percentage during his 2025 rookie campaign. Anthony hit leadoff in 27 of his last 32 starts before suffering a season-ending oblique injury and posted a .370 OBP and .930 OPS in those leadoff appearances. When starting games as the leadoff hitter he slashed .336 with six home runs, 17 RBIs and a 1.003 OPS. Anthony hit .329 with seven home runs, 27 RBIs and a .931 OPS over his final 56 games, finishing third in AL Rookie of the Year voting despite limited games.
Read at Boston.com
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