It’s lastly Roman Anthony time. The Crimson Sox introduced that the highest prospect in baseball has been chosen to the roster. Fellow outfielder Wilyer Abreu has been positioned on the 15-day injured listing with a left indirect pressure. First baseman/outfielder Ryan Noda has been designated for project to open a 40-man spot.
Anthony, now 21, has been at or close to the highest of prospect lists for some time now. The Sox grabbed him with the 79th general choose in 2022, a compensation choose they obtained after Eduardo Rodríguez rejected a qualifying supply and signed with the Tigers.
After a short skilled debut in that 2022 season, he took off in 2023. He climbed from Single-A to Excessive-A to Double-A, placing up a mixed .272/.403/.466 line and 140 wRC+. That made him a consensus prime 25 prospect within the sport coming into 2024. He raised his inventory even greater final yr, slashing .291/.396/.498 for a 147 wRC+ between Double-A and Triple-A.
Along with that work on the plate, Anthony tallied double-digit stolen base totals in each 2023 and 2024. He’s additionally thought-about a robust outfield defender. By the top of 2024, he was already the #1 prospect within the league for some shops. Some publications bumped him to #2 as soon as Roki Sasaki was signed by the Dodgers, although others saved Anthony within the prime spot.
Between Anthony, Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer, and Kyle Teel, the Sox had 4 great prospects producing pleasure this previous offseason. The 4 have been usually talked about in commerce rumors and Teel was finally flipped to the White Sox as a part of the Garrett Crochet deal, although the opposite three remained and nonetheless supplied lots of optimism in regards to the future.
Coming into 2025, with that hype and already having 35 massive league video games beneath his belt, a fast promotion for Anthony appeared potential. Nevertheless, his time in Triple-A has dragged on, regardless of murmuring from all corners of the baseball world.
Initially, a few of that was justified. He was coping with some shoulder soreness in April and spent a while the place he was solely serving because the designated hitter and never enjoying the sector. However that rapidly handed and he saved placing up enormous numbers on the plate. The query then turned considered one of enjoying time in Boston. The Sox have spent most of this yr with a crowded outfield combine consisting of Abreu, Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela, with Rob Refsnyder and Campbell additionally factoring in.
That didn’t depart a clear path for Anthony to get enjoying time, particularly with Rafael Devers taking on the designated hitter spot on an on a regular basis foundation. Nonetheless, many have been calling for the Sox to easily name him up and determine it out.
These calls grew louder when the Sox misplaced each of their nook infielders. First, Triston Casas suffered a season-ending knee damage. That led to a lot hypothesis about Devers getting plugged in at first to be able to open at-bats for Anthony, or maybe Anthony taking first base himself. Understandably, the Sox didn’t need to mess with Anthony’s improvement as an outfielder, so that they by no means gave a lot consideration to that. Devers was unwilling to attempt his hand at first base. Then third baseman Alex Bregman went on the IL with a quad damage that would preserve him out for a few months, however the Sox by no means appeared to actually contemplate the potential of asking Devers about going again there.
As all that was occurring, Anthony continued to place up large numbers for Worcester. As of right this moment, he has a .288/.423/.491 line and 146 wRC+. He has ten residence runs and three steals in 58 video games. His 19.2% stroll fee is nearly as excessive as his 21.1% strikeout fee. Now, lastly, it looks like this Abreu damage will open the door for him to get to the large leagues.
Because the season drags alongside, the enjoying time puzzle would possibly return. That can rely upon Abreu’s damage and the way lengthy it should take him to get again. Sooner or later, perhaps Masataka Yoshida will lastly get wholesome and re-enter the equation.
It’s potential issues will work out organically. Different accidents could come up earlier than these guys heal up. Anthony would possibly battle, as even the very best prospects can generally want a little bit of time to get their ft moist within the massive leagues. Campbell additionally adopted a sizzling April with a tough Might. If he doesn’t get again on monitor, maybe he might get optioned to the minors with Rafaela shifting to the infield. However however, Rafaela is the very best defensive middle fielder of the bunch. Duran and Anthony can play up the center however every is taken into account a greater match for a nook. There’s additionally the shortstop query, as Trevor Story has been heating up of late however is having a nasty season general. Mayer is as much as cowl for Bregman at third however hasn’t fairly absolutely clicked within the massive leagues but.
There can even be long-term issues to be sorted out. The crowded outfield scenario has led to commerce rumors surrounding Duran. Bregman might choose out after this season and it’s unclear if the Sox can be keen to return Devers to that spot. Casas is predicted again by subsequent yr’s spring coaching however he has additionally been in commerce rumors. Devers isn’t keen to play there now however maybe he can be extra amenable with an offseason to organize. Campbell has dabbled with some first base drills however hasn’t formally performed there but.
In time, there ought to be extra readability on the membership’s long-term plans. For now, Sox followers can get enthusiastic about Anthony’s emergence and hope that it helps flip round a middling season. The Sox are presently 32-35, fourth within the American League East and 4 video games again of a Wild Card spot. Even when they’ll’t engineer a comeback this yr, gamers like Anthony, Mayer, Campbell, Rafael, Duran, Abreu and others will be affordably managed for years to come back, giving the membership an thrilling core to construct round.
As a consensus prime prospect, Anthony is eligible for the prospect promotion incentive. Because the Sox didn’t promote him early sufficient to get a full service yr the normal manner, they received’t be capable of earn an additional draft choose primarily based on awards voting this yr. Anthony can technically earn himself a full yr of service time by ending within the prime two of Rookie of the Yr voting, although that might be powerful to do. Gamers like Jacob Wilson, Shane Smith and even Anthony’s teammate Carlos Narváez have an enormous headstart on him. Even when he performs properly, it could be laborious to catch as much as these guys with greater than a 3rd of the season already within the books.
If Anthony manages to drag that off, he would hasten his path to free company by a yr. In any other case, he can be on tempo to hit the open market after 2031 on the earliest, although future non-obligatory assignments might additionally influence that timeline.
Noda, 29, was simply acquired from the Angels a number of weeks in the past in a money deal. He’s a 3 true outcomes man, with plenty of homers and walks but additionally strikeouts. In 606 massive league plate appearances, he has a 34.2% strikeout fee, 15% stroll fee and 17 homers. That provides as much as a .212/.344/.369 line and 107 wRC+. Relationship again to the beginning of 2022, he has 574 minor league plate appearances with 25 residence runs, a 16% stroll fee and 28.2% strikeout fee. That results in a .259/.395/.474 line and 125 wRC+.
The Sox grabbed him for additional first base depth with the Casas damage however now threat shedding him. DFA limbo can final so long as per week however the waiver course of takes 48 hours, so Boston might take 5 days to discover commerce curiosity. He’s nonetheless optionable for the remainder of this yr and one further season. If he have been to cross via waivers unclaimed, he would stick to the Sox as non-roster depth.
Christopher Smith of MassLive first reported that Anthony was being promoted. A couple of minutes earlier, Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported {that a} promotion was potential. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first famous that Abreu was occurring the IL, although Alex Speier of The Boston Globe had beforehand instructed that an IL stint for Abreu was possible.
Photographs courtesy of Ashley Inexperienced, Imagn Pictures
