Roman Anthony’s 2026 Struggles: Is It Time to Panic?

On August 6th, 2025, Anthony signed an eight-year, $130 million contract with a club option for 2034. With their recent history of trading fan favorites due to financial implications, it was refreshing to see the Red Sox lock up a young star to a long-term deal. Despite losing in the Wild Card to the New York Yankees, Boston left the 2025 season with positive takeaways, largely due to the ascension of their young cornerstone outfielder.

While many speculated that the Red Sox would make major offensive additions in the offseason, they instead pivoted to defense and run prevention after missing out on premium position players. With Alex Bregman leaving in free agency, Boston traded for former St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Wilson Contreras, who shared a similar offensive profile to Bregman. Ultimately, the Red Sox brought back a similar offensive group, relying on internal development and an MVP-caliber year from Anthony.

Anthony’s 2026 Struggles

While Anthony’s success is imperative for Boston, early-season counting stats can be misleading. The 21-year-old slugger has a .211 AVG , .328 OBP, .333 SLG with just one home run in 2026. The general belief is that Anthony will find his swing as the season progresses; however, there are some concerning trends to keep an eye on going forward.

Despite his swing mechanics looking largely similar to those of his rookie campaign, Anthony’s hard-hit rate is down almost 20% from his previous year, sitting at a league-average 41%. While he frequently hits ground balls, many of them have traditionally exceeded exit velocities in the 100’s until recent games. Anthony’s calling card since the minor leagues has been controlling the strike zone and punishing fastballs over the plate, hitting the ball as hard as anyone in the sport.

Defensively, Anthony managed an astounding eight DRS (defensive runs saved) in right field in 2025, asserting himself as a legitimate multi-tool player in his rookie season. His outfield performance, however, has taken a major hit in 2026. Whether it be an injury, a mechanical error, or simply “the yips”, Anthony has had major struggles throwing out runners on tagging and scoring opportunities. There’s been speculation for many different causes, but Boston manager Alex Cora has solely attributed it to mechanical reasons, claiming Anthony is fully healthy and reinforcing his confidence in the young outfielder.

Ultimately, Anthony’s struggles shouldn’t have been concerning in a multi-year outlook of his development, rather than a potential thorn in the side of the Red Sox. With the team being largely dependent on his success, an extended stretch where Anthony doesn’t produce at a high level could be a detriment to the offense as a whole. While his hard-hit rate has suffered in 2026, his average exit velocity and bat speed have maintained their excellence. Defensively, there isn’t a direct indicator of an injury to physical decline of any sort, leading analysts to believe it’s a mechanical issue.

End Of My Roman Anthony Rant

While there’s certainly some cause for concern over Anthony’s performance thus far, it’d be wise to take a patient approach with the 21-year old lead-off hitter. Following his slow start in 2025, he ascended as the best position player on Boston for a 50-game stretch leading up to his oblique injury. Yes, he has experienced a decreased hard-hit rate and defensive struggles. He’s likely, though, only a few mechanical changes away from reaching the heights we saw in his rookie season, and will likely find his rhythm in the coming weeks.