On Saturday night, Roman Anthony smacked the home run heard round the world.
On Monday afternoon, Anthony received the call we’ve all been waiting for.
It’s finally official — ballyhooed outfield prospect Roman Anthony is joining the Boston Red Sox, expected in time for Monday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. He’ll be batting fifth in his debut. The Red Sox are facing a critical part of the schedule, with the Rays (three games) and Yankees (three games) heading to Fenway Park this week. Boston currently sits fourth in the A.L. East division, three games under .500 and 8.5 games behind New York.
Advertisement
Anthony, who turned 21 in May, entered the regular season ranked first or second on the main scouting clipboards — he’s widely considered the best hitting prospect in baseball. He was toying with Triple-A pitching this year, slashing .288/.423/.491 with 10 homers. The plate discipline belies someone so young; he has more walks than strikeouts. Anthony only has three steals this year, on the heels of 21 in the previous season; perhaps that was tied to an earlier shoulder issue. His hard-hit metrics are all in the red, the good side.
Anthony is the third noted Boston prospect to join the team this year. Infielder Kristian Campbell made the club out of spring training, and INF Marcelo Mayer was recalled two weeks ago. The cadence of the promotions speaks to the current shape of the Boston roster — the Red Sox have battled injuries and underperformance in the infield, while the outfield has been strong.
Corner outfielders Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran are both above-average hitters in 2025, and while Ceddanne Rafaela is below code with the bat, he’s a plus-plus defender in center. Even journeyman Rob Refsnyder has been capable as a platoon bat against left-handed pitching. So, it remains to be seen how manager Alex Cora will divvy up the outfield at-bats.
Advertisement
But you don’t tap Anthony on the shoulder if you intend to sit him on the bench.
While Anthony is expected to be a future star by everyone who analyzes the game, you never know how young players will respond to their first MLB action (Campbell has cooled after a quick start — though he had four hits and a homer over the weekend — while Mayer has a modest .643 OPS). But fantasy managers obviously can’t ignore the plausible upside here. Despite being less than a month from his 21st birthday, it’s possible Anthony makes a splash in his first lap around The Show.
Anthony is rostered in 46% of Yahoo leagues as we go to press. That number is going to spike quickly. It’s last call, gamers. Fenway Park should have some extra electricity this week.
Read the full article here
