Three-hit Opening Day performance backs up Red Sox legend's eye-popping 50-homer prediction.
The Boston Red Sox (1-0) didn’t need long to validate what they already believed about Roman Anthony.
One pitch into the 2026 season, the tone was set.
Anthony jumped on the very first offering he saw on Opening Day and rifled it up the middle for a single, instantly making history as the youngest player in franchise history to record a hit in the team’s first plate appearance of a season.
It was a small, almost routine play, but it carried the weight of something much bigger.
Because everything about Anthony right now feels inevitable.
By the end of the day, he had 3 hits and a walk, continuing to showcase the exact traits that have made him the centerpiece of Boston’s lineup:
Elite discipline, advanced feel for the strike zone, and power that still feels like it’s just scratching the surface.
And around the game, people are starting to say the quiet part out loud.
Former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon didn’t hold back when discussing Anthony’s outlook for 2026, offering a prediction that immediately turned heads.
“You look at this kid, and he’s not a rookie anymore,” Papelbon said on the “Foul Territory” YouTube channel. “He is a proven veteran who goes about his business like a veteran. We talk a lot in Boston about [Anthony’s] plate discipline. That’s gonna have to continue. I think he’s one of the best guys in [the Red Sox] lineup that has plate discipline.
Aug 27, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony (19) prepares to bat before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. (James A. Pittman/Imagn Images)“With him producing more home runs this year, I look to him to be close to 50 home runs this year. Yeah, I said it. 50 home runs. This kid can really put them out of the ballpark. Especially with a short porch in Fenway Park at right field, I think he can do it.”
Fifty home runs is the headline.
But the reasoning behind it is what matters more.
Anthony isn’t being viewed as a prospect anymore. He’s not even being framed as a breakout candidate.
He’s being talked about like a fully formed, middle-of-the-order force - one who just happens to be 21 years old.
That’s why the Red Sox handed him an eight-year extension.
That’s why he’s locked into the leadoff spot.
And that’s why performances like Opening Day don’t feel surprising, they feel expected.
Whether he reaches Papelbon’s number or not is almost secondary.
Because the reality is already here.
Anthony isn’t arriving.
He’s already become the player Boston is building everything around.
Mar 26, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Roman Anthony (19) scores on a RBI single hit by designated hitter Jarren Duran (not pictured) in the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. (Katie Stratman/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.