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Alex Cora gives hints on how Red Sox Opening Day lineup will look; will Roman Anthony lead off?
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- Alex Cora gives hints on how Red Sox Opening Day lineup will look; will Roman Anthony lead off?
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Ahead of the spring training report date for Red Sox position players this weekend in Fort Myers, manager Alex Cora hasn’t said much about how he plans to construct his lineup, which added infielder Caleb Durbin to the mix Monday. All Cora has conceded, to this point, is that he expects first baseman Willson Contreras to hit fourth .
On Wednesday, though, Cora offered some hints about what his order might look like come March 26, when the Sox open the series against the Reds in Cincinnati . Cora said Trevor Story deserves to hit near the top of the order after a bounce-back year in 2025. He said he likes the idea of Durbin protecting the middle of the lineup as a bat-to-ball guy, potentially in the sixth spot . He acknowledged that Roman Anthony ’s ability to impact games from the first pitch as Boston ’s leadoff hitter is intriguing, too.
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Last year, Jarren Duran led off 106 times for the Red Sox, but Anthony took over that spot against right-handed pitchers in August and thrived, hitting .336 with a 1.003 OPS in 27 starts as the leadoff man. Against righties this year, Cora seems to be leaning toward hitting Anthony first and Duran lower — potentially third — while having both players in the left field/designated hitter mix. Against lefties, platoon types Romy Gonzalez and Nate Eaton will be candidates to lead off. Anthony can’t be counted out of that mix, either.
“He’s valuable anywhere...,” Cora said of Anthony. “Putting pressure on the opposition from Pitch 1, that matters, too. He was amazing for us leading off. That means he’s going to get the most at-bats of anybody. He’s that type of hitter.
“We’re talking top of the lineup. Not saying he’s going to lead off, but I like what George (Springer) did for Houston in ‘17, I like what Mookie (Betts) did for us in ‘18 and I like what Roman did for us last year.”
Durbin would seem to be a candidate to hit second where departed stars Rafael Devers (73 games) and Alex Bregman (49 games) led the team in starts last year. But Cora made it seem like the right-handed Story is a preferred option there when talking about the top half of his lineup as a whole.
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“Willson will be up there (fourth), Roman will be up there, Jarren is part of it and Trevor has earned the right to hit at the top of the lineup,” Cora said.
If Anthony leads off, Duran would seem to be a candidate to hit third along with a couple players who have uncertain roles ( Masataka Yoshida and Triston Casas ) and Wilyer Abreu . Another one of those players might hit fifth behind Contreras as a left-handed power option. Abreu hit in seven different lineup spots in 2025, appearing most hitting fifth (36 games).
That would pave the way for Durbin to hit sixth in the new-look order.
“He can hit on top of the lineup, but he can give you length in the lineup,” Cora said. “He’s a good player. He’s a good baserunner. Having him hit behind the lefty that hits behind Willson makes sense, but at the same time, we’ll see against lefties how it plays out. We’ll move him around.
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“I don’t see Caleb becoming a ‘dude’ where, ‘Oh, he’s going to hit 40 home runs.’ But he’s a guy that’s going to drive in runs and get on base. He’s going to be part of the solution.”
The bottom of the lineup will likely include a mix consisting of infielders Marcelo Mayer and Gonzalez, catchers Carlos Narváez and Connor Wong and center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela , who once again appears slated to hit ninth. On days he plays, utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa will be at the bottom, too . The same can be said for fellow newcomer Andruw Monasterio , who arrived in camp Wednesday along with Durbin and Anthony Seigler .
Cora plans on getting more familiar with Durbin’s game before making a final decision. It’s important, also, to note that the Red Sox used 134 different lineup combinations in 2025.
“I don’t know yet,” Cora said. “I’ve got to take a look at him.”
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