Roman Anthony Calls Out Red Sox's 'Unacceptable' Performance to Start 2026 MLB Season

Roman Anthony says he understands why fans are unhappy with the Boston Red Sox's 2-7 start to the 2026 season.

"We need to find a way to just bring more energy and just be better," Anthony told reporters after the Red Sox blew a four-run lead in an 8-6 loss to the San Diego Padres on Sunday afternoon.

Anthony continued, "This is unacceptable. It's unacceptable to the fans. It's unacceptable to the standard that we set for ourselves."

The Red Sox climbed out to a 4-0 lead in the third inning before the Padres answered with six runs in the next two frames.

Boston tied the game again in the seventh inning before Tyler Uberstine allowed a go-ahead home run from Merrill Kelly in the eighth.

Anthony, who recorded a walk and a run in the loss, started the season at left field but was at DH for a third straight game on Sunday.

That positional change came after Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters Anthony needed to improve his footwork in left field, per MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo.

"There's a few things we have to be better (with) defensively... There's stuff we have to improve as a group and that's part of Roman's development," Cora said Saturday, per Cotillo.

Defense was again an issue for the Red Sox on Sunday, including early errors by shortstop Trevor Story and catcher Carlos Narváez.

Boston was also once more unable to find reliable pitching after the corps combined for a 4.28 ERA, good for 20th in the majors, through the first eight games of the season.

The Red Sox started the 2026 campaign with an Opening Day victory before dropping five straight games, marking the club's worst season start since 2019.

Early-season struggles from the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles mean other teams haven't gotten much separation in the division yet.

With a series against the 7-2 Milwaukee Brewers next on the schedule, however, the Red Sox will need to find an answer to their early struggles quickly in order to avoid falling too deeply into the basement of the AL East.