Roman Anthony, Trevor Story, Jarren Duran, Wilson Contreras locked into key spots
Throughout both spring training and the offseason, a lot has been made by both fans and the media about what the Red Sox batting order will look like come Opening Day.
Will the kid hit leadoff?
Is Boston going to rely on another big year from their aging shortstop?
What happens to Jarren Duran?
Did they trade for their cleanup hitter in December?
It turns out manager Alex Cora gave us answers to all four of those questions during an interview with MLB Network on Wednesday morning.
The answer to each:
Yes.
Yes.
He’s back, and hitting third.
Yes.
Here’s what Cora had to say when he was asked about the top of his batting order:
“Roman [Anthony] will lead off. I was in Houston in ’17, we had Mookie [Betts] in ’18 and ’19. And from pitch one, you have to execute. If you're facing us, and the kid - he's a good hitter. He knows his strike zone. With one swing, [it can be] 1-0 Red Sox. He did an outstanding job for us last year, and I expect him to do the same thing.
“Trevor [Story] will hit second. If you look at the numbers - the last four months of the season, he was one of the best hitters in the big leagues. Jarren [Duran] will hit third, position about to be determined. We'll move the - we got a lot of outfielders, you know? And that's my job, right? … It's not a problem. I mean, it's cool to have talent, you know? But we'll move it around. We'll see how it goes.
“Wilson [Contreras] - I'm excited about that one. I just feel like Fenway and Wilson Contreras is a perfect match. It’s like, [the other day] he walked twice, he flipped the bat twice. I'm like, people are not gonna like us, which is great. Like, when you don't like a team, it’s because they're good. I think Wilson is gonna bring attitude.”
Feb 22, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story (10) looks on before the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. (Kim Klement Neitzel/Imagn Images)JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.