Roman Anthony’s 2026 season never really got the runway everyone expected.
He came into the year carrying the buzz of a young hitter who had already shown plenty of promise, then added to it with a strong run for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. Across six games, he hit .280 with two home runs and a .920 OPS, and that set the stage for what was supposed to be his first full season in Boston.
The start looked encouraging enough. Anthony opened the regular season with three hits in Boston’s 3-0 Opening Day win, and he became the 14th 21 year-old ever to reach base 4 times on Opening Day. 9 of the first 13 are in the Hall of Fame.
Unreal stat from @alexspeier. But the production didn’t stay steady.
Through his first 30 games, he was batting .229 with one home run and five RBIs.
Then came the injury that changed everything.
On May 4 against the Detroit Tigers, Anthony hurt his right wrist while fouling off a pitch. What first showed up as a sprain turned out to be more serious after further evaluation, with doctors finding a partial tendon tear near his right ring finger.
Boston put him on the injured list May 7, and the recovery dragged on longer than anyone anticipated. When he tried to ramp back up, the discomfort returned, and the Red Sox had to slow things down.
Nearly four months later, Anthony was finally back. He returned Aug. 30 with Trevor Story and wasted no time making an impact, going 2 for 4 in Boston’s 16-1 loss to the Yankees.
Welcome back, Roman Anthony! 🙌 Roman's first AB back is a double (101.6 EV) https://t.co/n4yX2lOu32
The next night at Fenway, he helped fuel one of the season’s biggest comebacks. In just his second game off the injured list, Anthony sparked Boston’s rally against the Mariners in a 9-8, 10-inning win.
The Red Sox were down 8-5 entering the bottom of the ninth when Anthony ripped a 106.5 mph line drive that Julio Rodríguez misplayed, turning it into a leadoff triple. Ceddanne Rafaela followed with a fly ball to left, and Anthony charged home, sliding his left hand across the plate just before Cal Raleigh could tag him.
That run tied the game, and Trevor Story finished the job with the walk-off single in the 10th.
Ball gets by Julio Rodriguez and Roman Anthony leads off the ninth with a triple in a one-run game! https://t.co/uzhgJiFZiF
- Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 1, 2026
Anthony’s return gave Boston a needed jolt as it fought for a postseason spot, but the rhythm never fully settled in. September was uneven as he kept working back from the injury, and he finished the regular season with five home runs and 15 RBIs in 55 games.
His postseason ended the same way the regular season had been defined: by the right hand. In Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Yankees, Anthony felt discomfort after a pair of checked swings and left in the sixth inning. The Red Sox later said he had aggravated the injury, which brought his season to a close.
For the year, Anthony played 55 games and finished with 52 hits, 24 runs, 11 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 15 RBIs, 29 walks, 66 strikeouts and two stolen bases. He hit .245 with a .339 on-base percentage, a .396 slugging percentage and a .735 OPS, along with 1.3 WAR.
That OPS was well below the .859 mark he posted in 2025, when he finished third in American League Rookie of the Year voting. Even with the stop-and-start season, Anthony still flashed the offensive talent that made him such a big part of Boston’s plans.
When he was healthy enough to play, he looked like a difference-maker. The problem was getting him there - and keeping him there.
In Other News...
Red Sox Seem To Be Drawing A Line On Franklin Arias
Craig Breslow has shown a willingness to move premium young talent in recent years, but Franklin Arias appears to be a different case. The Red Sox reportedly view the highly regarded shortstop prospect as almost untouchable, a notable stance for an organization that has not been shy about dealing from its prospect depth when the right opportunity presents itself.
Arias is already regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball and is seen as the likely long-term answer at shortstop once Trevor Story is out of the picture. Trade conversations have come up, but Boston would only entertain the idea of moving him for a true superstar who comes with multiple years of control, which says plenty about how high the ceiling is on Arias and how carefully the club is drawing its line. [Read more 🡒]
Brayan Bello Gave The Red Sox A Reason To Believe Again
Brayan Bellos 2026 season looked like it might be headed off course when he lost his spot in the Red Sox rotation and spent time in the minors before shifting to the bullpen. But after coming back from Triple-A, he settled in as a long reliever and gave Boston a much steadier version of himself, one that paired a low ERA with the kind of effectiveness that had been missing earlier in the year.
When he got another chance to start, Bello made the most of it. He turned in three strong outings down the stretch, with better strikeout numbers and a FIP that pointed to real progress under the hood. After a year that tested his standing with the club, Bello at least left the Red Sox with a reason to think a full-time return to the rotation in 2027 is back on the table. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Still Have A Pitching Need Breslow May Solve Differently
Craig Breslow made it clear the Red Sox are still looking for more pitching this offseason, and the need has a familiar shape: a right-handed arm who can add depth without forcing the club to overextend. Sonny Grays departure in free agency opened a hole, and while Boston does have several starters returning, the picture behind them is less settled because some of the internal right-handed options come with injury questions or uneven recent performance.
What makes this search interesting is that Breslow does not sound locked into the usual free-agent route. He has emphasized the value of optionable pitching depth, which points toward the kind of young, controllable arm Boston could try to pry loose in a trade. Names such as Carmen Mlodzinski and Will Warren fit that mold, though a deal for Warren would not come easily given the divisional complications involved. [Read more 🡒]