Roman Anthony will have plenty on his shoulders this upcoming Boston Red Sox season, and the budding superstar arrived in Fort Myers prepared to carry the load.
Anthony showed up to spring training with noticeably more muscle on his 6-foot-3 frame. After flashing MVP potential as a rookie last season, he’ll be counted on to supply much of the power for a Red Sox lineup that isn’t expected to hit many balls over the fence in 2026.
ZiPS projects the Red Sox will be the only MLB club without a player hitting 20-plus home runs next season. Anthony, Trevor Story, and Wilyer Abreu are tied for the team lead with a projected 18 homers, and Anthony also owns the highest projected OPS (.812) among Boston hitters.
The Red Sox front office’s inability to land another big bat this offseason has put the burden on Anthony to exceed even those lofty expectations. Fortunately, the laid-back 21-year-old appears unbothered by the spotlight.
“That’s fine. Like I said earlier, we have so many great players, so I’m not really worried about that at all,” Anthony told reporters at Fenway South on Monday.
“I’m not really worried about anything like that, never really was. Just going to continue to learn from my teammates around me and find ways to make everyone better.”
That mindset is part of what makes Anthony such a compelling centerpiece for Boston’s future. With elite bat speed, advanced plate discipline, and power to all fields, his talent has never been in question. His even-keeled approach may prove to be just as valuable as the production itself. If the Red Sox are going to outperform their modest power projections, it will likely start with their former No. 1 prospect taking another leap mentally and physically.
Anthony earned his long-awaited call-up to the big leagues in June. After raking at every minor-league level, he wasted little time making his presence felt in Boston, slashing .292/.396/.463 with eight homers and 32 RBI in 71 games before an oblique strain ended his season prematurely in early September. He finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year race.
If he stays healthy in 2026, it isn’t a stretch to say Anthony could be in the AL Most Valuable Player conversation. An MVP-level season from Anthony may be necessary for the Red Sox to compete in the tough AL East and make a deep postseason run.
Although much of the commentary surrounding this year’s Red Sox squad touts the improved pitching staff while questioning the lineup, Anthony is a believer in the group.
“I think we’ve got a great squad offensively,” he said. “I haven’t really looked into it much as to what people have to say about us, but I think we know what the end goal is, and we know how we’re gonna try and piece it together to make everything work.
“I think we have a very complete lineup. It just feels very tight-knit in there. So I think as far as the offensive side goes, I think we’re gonna be just fine.”
Even if Anthony is confident the Red Sox offense will surprise people, there’s no question the club is asking a lot from him heading into his first full season. He ranks near the top of the list of players they can’t afford to lose to injury, which makes his addition to Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic a polarizing topic among Sox fans. While it’ll be fun to watch the future face of the franchise perform on an international stage, it will also come with understandable anxiety.
Ultimately, the Red Sox are placing a significant bet on growth. When it comes to the lineup, they’re betting that internal development, more than offseason spending, will power their next postseason push. At the center of that wager stands Roman Anthony.
He doesn’t need to be perfect, nor does he have to do it alone. But if he continues on his current trajectory, it’ll go a long way toward quieting the critiques of the lackluster offense, and it could make all the difference between another letdown season and October baseball in Boston.
No pressure, kid.
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