Feb 27, 2026; North Port, Florida, USA; Members of the Boston Red Sox staff check on left fielder Roman Anthony (19) and center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela (3) after a collision in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves during spring training at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Roman Anthony Provides Health Update After Ceddanne Rafaela Collision

Originally posted on Boston Red Sox on SI
By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Feb 27, 2026 5:00 PM ET

Boston Red Sox fans had about 3 1/2 minutes of unwelcome panic on Friday afternoon.

On a fly ball to left-center field in the first inning of their game against the Atlanta Braves, outfielders Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela collided and fell to the ground in a heap. Rafaela initially clutched at his left hamstring, while Anthony's right elbow seemed to catch the worst of the collision, though he walked gingerly for a moment as well.

Thankfully for Boston, both players were able to remain in the game, and in their next at-bats, Anthony singled up the middle, and Rafaela homered to dead center. All seemed well, but as it took Anthony a lot longer to get off the ground, he was the man Red Sox Nation wanted to hear from after the game.

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What Anthony said postgame about collision

Anthony was asked by reporters on site in Fort Myers about the collision immediately after the game, and per Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald, the 21-year-old said he knew he would be fine to stay in the game almost immediately, though he had "a little bruise" on his arm.

“I just wanted to take a second, we got the wind knocked out of both of us I think a little bit there and hit him pretty hard and wanted to make sure he was good,” Anthony said, per Cerullo. “Weird feeling at first but nothing too crazy.”

Anthony put a compression sleeve on his left arm after the collision, but remained in the game for another five innings, chasing after a few balls in left field and adding a groundout to second base after his single up the middle (which was against Chris Sale, so no small feat).

Both Anthony and Rafaela are leaving in the next few days to participate in the World Baseball Classic -- the former for Team USA, the latter for Team Netherlands. So ideally, for all parties involved, neither player will wake up on Saturday feeling any worse for the wear.

This article first appeared on Boston Red Sox on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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