Roman Anthony's Defense Becoming Red Flag Amid Red Sox's Rough Start

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Jun 18, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Roman Anthony (19) walks to the dugout before the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox don't typically have bad things to say about Roman Anthony, but the defense is starting to become a talking point.

On three separate occasions this season, Anthony has made a fairly weak throw to home plate in a crucial situation. It started with the Red Sox's first loss of the season on Dane Myers' walk-off single in Cincinnati, and it continued on Saturday when he couldn't throw out Fernando Tatís Jr. as the go-ahead run in the ninth.

The Red Sox have also begun to play Jarren Duran over Anthony in left field a bit more than some may have expected, which isn't necessarily a surprise considering Duran is known for his speed. Manager Alex Cora pointed out some of the issues with Anthony's defense on Saturday before the aforementioned late-game loss to the San Diego Padres.

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Cora: Anthony has to be better

“There’s a few things that we have to be better (at) defensively and the kid knows it,” said Cora, per Christopher Smith of MassLive. “The other day there was a play, (Carlos) Correa was at second, base hit to left and we got to throw him out and he knows it.

“It’s footwork. His footwork has been off.”

Some might recall that Anthony's defense was a topic of conversation after his very first game, when he let a ground ball under his glove for a triple, but after that, he was fairly superb last year. The throws this season have become an unexpected talking point, but Cora doesn't seem to think the issue will last much longer.

“We have to improve,” Cora said, per Smith. “It’s not only him, it’s everybody. Jarren plays the ball really, really well here (in left). We’ll play him whenever we feel like it out there. But there’s stuff that we have to improve as a group, and that’s part of Roman’s development.”

The vibes are down all around after the Red Sox's 2-6 start, no doubt. But we probably won't be sitting here in a few weeks still worrying about the 21-year-old Anthony's issues with the glove (or arm).