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Anthony batted leadoff and went 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored in Thursday's 3-0 victory over the Reds.
None of Anthony's three hits impacted the final score, but his ABS challenge in the top of the ninth inning turned a potential inning-ending strikeout into a walk. Two batters later, he came around to score as the Red Sox added two insurance runs. Anthony is expected to bat leadoff this season and could be among the league leaders in plate appearances.
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.
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