Red Sox call up top prospect Roman Anthony: Source

New York Times

2 days ago

For the second time in the past month, the Boston Red Sox have promoted a top prospect. On Monday, Boston promoted outfielder Roman Anthony, the No. 1 prospect in baseball. Right fielder Wilyer Abreu has been placed on the injured list, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
At a time when the team is struggling to stay afloat in the American League East, but coming of a key weekend series win over the New York Yankees, the Red Sox have summoned Anthony, one of the best hitters in the minor leagues, to boost the club.
Advertisement
In 58 Triple-A games, the 21-year-old is hitting .288 with a .914 OPS, 10 homers, nine doubles and two triples along with 51 walks and 56 strikeouts.
On Saturday night in Worcester, Anthony crushed a 497-foot grand slam at 115.6 mph. It marked the longest homer at any professional level this season, making calls for his promotion even louder.
Roman Anthony just MELTED a baseball 🤯🤯
497 ft | 115.6 mph for MLB's No. 1 prospect with the @WooSox! pic.twitter.com/cIsJ4msIyw
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) June 8, 2025
The Red Sox have been reeling since third baseman Alex Bregman went on the IL with a severe right quad strain on May 24. They are 6-9 in his absence. In early May, the team lost first baseman Triston Casas to season-ending knee surgery.
In Bregman's place, the club recalled Marcelo Mayer, their top infield prospect, and now Anthony joins the big-league club too. All three of Boston's top prospects entering the season, including Kristian Campbell, who made the Opening Day roster, are now in the majors.
Anthony, a 2022 second-round draft pick, has shown prodigious power throughout his career, but has been particularly potent this season. He leads all minor leaguers with 32 barreled balls.
For Triple-A Worcester, he's played 29 games in left field, 11 in center and four in right and served as designated hitter 14 games, mainly after a shoulder injury in late April.
Throughout his minor-league career, Anthony has routinely been the youngest hitter in his league, having just turned 21 on May 13. In 119 games between Double A and Triple A last season, he hit .291 with an .894 OPS, 32 doubles and 18 homers.
Law provided this assessment of Anthony as he prepares to make his Red Sox debut:
'Anthony remains the top prospect in baseball, keeping his No. 1 status thanks to a strong start in Triple A that has him hitting the ball very hard (average exit velocity above 95 mph and 90th percentile EV at 109.4 mph. He's had more swing-and-miss than you'd like to see and he's been particularly vulnerable to changeups down and away and offspeed pitches. I imagine that's what he will see a lot of at the start of his MLB career.'
Advertisement
With Abreu on the IL, Ceddanne Rafaela was scheduled to play right field on Monday night for just the second time in his big-league career. Jarren Duran, who was a Gold Glove finalist in center last season before playing left most of this year, is likely to move back to center with Anthony taking over a majority of the reps in left.
Anthony, Campbell and Mayer impressed this spring as a trio of top prospects who performed well in big-league camp and meshed with the clubhouse.
When the season began, Campbell was the lone prospect that made the Opening Day roster, but now Mayer and Anthony have joined him as Boston officially turns its eye toward the future.