In 2025, Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela were two of the Boston Red Sox’s best players. The pair of outfielders played a key role in helping their team break their recent playoff drought and make it to the postseason for the first time since 2021.
The pair have recently been the subject of plenty of concern, as they violently clashed in a spring training game againt the Atlanta Braves on Friday, while tracking down the same fly ball.
However, both Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela ended up staying in the game, and both players have avoided any serious injuries.
Speaking to insider and content creator Tyler Milliken post game, Rafaela addressed the incident, admitting that his first thought was the safety of his teammate.
“[Anthony is a] really big guy. Hits hard too… I just was hoping he’s OK,” Rafaela said.
“I was more worried about him than I was about me, because I saw him in some pain, and I don’t like seeing my teammates in those types of situations.”
Red Sox Insider Highlights What He Thinks Is Best Position In the Lineup For Roman Anthony In 2026
On Feb. 12, former Red Sox infielder Lou Merloni, who now works as an analyst for NESN, highlighted the spot in the lineup he thinks Roman Anthony should occupy next season, in order to maximize his potential.
“It sounds like he’s going to hit leadoff. He loves this leadoff (spot)… I just think, just throw him out there right away. Hit a double, get a walk, hit a home run, whatever it is, put pressure on them right from the jump,” Merloni said (Timestamp: 3:46).
“Now, it could be fluid. See how the injuries happen, see what the lineup looks. Would he move back to two? Would he move back to three? That’s open for discussion. But everything points to him leading off, to start the year at least.”
Roman Anthony finished the 2025 season with a .292 batting average, eight home runs and 32 RBIs.
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