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Red Sox's Roman Anthony: Avoids injury in outfield collision
Rotowire
Anthony said he just got the wind knocked out of him in a collision with teammate Ceddanne Rafaela during Friday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
It was a rather ugly incident that left both players down and drew the training staff onto the field, but both Anthony and Rafaela stayed in the game and are right back in there for Saturday's exhibition, per Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. Through five spring games, Anthony has gone 3-for-16 with a double and four strikeouts. He is primed to serve as Boston's leadoff hitter to begin 2026.
Manager Alex Cora said Saturday that Anthony will serve as the Red Sox's main leadoff hitter to begin the regular season, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Anthony took over as the Red Sox's leadoff man midway through the 2025 campaign, and he'll officially remain at the top of the order in 2026 after posting a .396 OBP in 71 big-league contests last season. The 21-year-old outfielder made three appearances as a leadoff hitter against southpaws last year, but it's unclear if the Red Sox plan to drop him further down the order when faced with a lefty-on-lefty matchup.
Red Sox's Roman Anthony: Likely leadoff hitter versus RHP
Rotowire
Red Sox manager Alex Cora "seems to be leaning toward" batting Anthony leadoff against right-handers, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Jarren Duran was Boston's primary leadoff man for most of 2025, but Anthony took over the spot in August and posted a 1.003 OPS in 27 games before an oblique strain ended his season. Anthony is fully healthy now, and while he should remain in the lineup most days against southpaws as well, he'll hit lower in the order when he doesn't have the platoon advantage. Duran is likely to open the season batting third versus righties.
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