The Red Sox got an early spring scare Friday.
During the first inning of their matchup with the Braves, Atlanta’s Jurickson Profar hit a lazy fly ball to left center field that nearly ended in disaster.
Boston’s young stars, left fielder Roman Anthony and center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela both appeared to have a beat on the ball, but there apparently wasn’t great communication between the pair.
Anthony made the catch, allowing Ronald Acuna Jr. to score the first Atlanta run of the game from third base, but he collided on the play with Rafaela at the same exact moment — sending both players to the ground on a play that appeared to be catastrophic for a few moments.
As trainers and coaches ran out to check on the pair, Anthony remained face down on the grass while Rafaela didn’t look much better hunched over next to his teammate.
After a minute or so, Rafaela sprung to his feet.
A short time later, Anthony was up and standing as the Red Sox trainer appeared to be checking on his left arm.
Both players stayed in the game, and if their next at-bats were any indication, they ended up just fine.
Anthony singled to center in his very next time at the plate.
A few pitches later, Rafaela hit a 400-foot home run to the same part of the yard.
The Red Sox are assuredly breathing a sigh of relief with so much depending on Anthony, 21, and Rafaela, 25, in 2026 and beyond.
Anthony burst onto the scene last season, hitting .292/.396/.463 across 303 plate appearances and finishing third in the American League Rookie of the Year race after widely being considered the best prospect in the sport.
In his second full big league season in 2025, Rafaela hit 16 home runs and stole 20 bags while winning the Gold Glove award in center field.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
