The Boston Red Sox have one of the most talented groups of outfielders in all of baseball heading into 2026. With a surplus of outfielders all deserving of playing time, manager Alex Cora is already thinking of several ways to utilize his players when it comes to managing his roster.
Before Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds, Cora pulled back the curtain on how he plans to handle one of the team’s most exciting prospects, Roman Anthony, a consistent presence in the lineup without sacrificing the team’s defensive chances late in games.
On days when Masataka Yoshida plays in left field, Jarren Duran will start in center field, and place Roman Anthony as designated hitter. (h/t Jen McCaffery of The Athletic). Later on in the games, Ceddanne Rafaela will enter the game and slot Duran to left field and keep Anthony as the team’s DH. The result offers the Red Sox a late-game defensive upgrade without costing them one of their most dangerous bats.
It’s a smart solution to Boston’s problem of having a lot of outfielders on the roster. The Red Sox outfield currently consists of Anthony, Duran, Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu. Then add Yoshida into the mix, and Cora is left with a kind of problem other managers would enjoy having, even if it comes at a cost of being creative day in and day out when creating lineups.
Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony (19). © Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
(© Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images)
Considering the opposite would put Yoshida in the DH spot, which would force another outfielder to the bench, which makes little sense given how good the group of outfielders can be.
By giving Anthony the DH role on days like Sunday’s matchup, Cora keeps everyone’s bat in the order while still being able to deploy his best defensive unit when it matters down the stretch.
The 21-year-old has done nothing but reward the organization’s faith in him. After a breakout 2025 season in which he hit .291/.396/.463 with 75 hits and eight home runs in 71 games. In 2026, Anthony carried that bat with a memorable go-ahead home run for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic semifinals against the Dominican Republic. He now enters the Red Sox’s 2026 campaign with enormous expectations, offering a powerful bat that makes the roster gymnastics worth the effort.
For Cora, finding ways to keep Anthony’s bat in the lineup will have to continue throughout the total 162-game season will be key to Boston’s chances of going deep into October.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Mar 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.