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 total decide in 2022, a compensation decide they obtained after Eduardo Rodríguez rejected a qualifying supply and signed with the Tigers.
After a quick 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 high 25 prospect within the sport coming into 2024. He raised his inventory even increased final 12 months, 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 powerful outfield defender. By the tip 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 high 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 typically 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 offered loads of optimism concerning the future.
Coming into 2025, with that hype and already having 35 large league video games below his belt, a fast promotion for Anthony appeared attainable. 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 sphere. However that rapidly handed and he saved placing up enormous numbers on the plate. The query then turned one in all enjoying time in Boston. The Sox have spent most of this 12 months with a crowded outfield combine consisting of Abreu, Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela, with Rob Refsnyder and Campbell additionally factoring in.
That didn’t go away 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 harm. That led to a lot hypothesis about Devers getting plugged in at first with a purpose to open at-bats for Anthony, or maybe Anthony taking first base himself. Understandably, the Sox didn’t wish to mess with Anthony’s growth as an outfielder, in order 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 harm that would hold him out for a few months, however the Sox by no means appeared to actually take into account the opportunity of asking Devers about going again there.
As all that was happening, Anthony continued to place up huge numbers for Worcester. As of right now, he has a .288/.423/.491 line and 146 wRC+. He has ten house runs and three steals in 58 video games. His 19.2% stroll price is nearly as excessive as his 21.1% strikeout price. Now, lastly, it looks as if this Abreu harm will open the door for him to get to the large leagues.
Because the season drags alongside, the enjoying time puzzle may return. That can rely upon Abreu’s harm and the way lengthy it would take him to get again. Sooner or later, perhaps Masataka Yoshida will lastly get wholesome and re-enter the equation.
It’s attainable issues will work out organically. Different accidents might come up earlier than these guys heal up. Anthony may battle, as even the perfect prospects can typically want a little bit of time to get their toes moist within the large leagues. Campbell additionally adopted a sizzling April with a tough Could. If he doesn’t get again on observe, maybe he might get optioned to the minors with Rafaela shifting to the infield. However then again, Rafaela is the perfect 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 foul season total. Mayer is as much as cowl for Bregman at third however hasn’t fairly absolutely clicked within the large leagues but.
There may also be long-term issues to be sorted out. The crowded outfield state of affairs has led to commerce rumors surrounding Duran. Bregman might decide out after this season and it’s unclear if the Sox could be prepared to return Devers to that spot. Casas is anticipated again by subsequent 12 months’s spring coaching however he has additionally been in commerce rumors. Devers isn’t prepared to play there now however maybe he could be extra amenable with an offseason to arrange. Campbell has dabbled with some first base drills however hasn’t formally performed there but.
In time, there must 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 12 months, gamers like Anthony, Mayer, Campbell, Rafael, Duran, Abreu and others will be affordably managed for years to return, giving the membership an thrilling core to construct round.
As a consensus high prospect, Anthony is eligible for the prospect promotion incentive. Because the Sox didn’t promote him early sufficient to get a full service 12 months the standard means, they received’t be capable of earn an additional draft decide based mostly on awards voting this 12 months. Anthony can technically earn himself a full 12 months of service time by ending within the high two of Rookie of the 12 months voting, although that will probably be robust to do. Gamers like Jacob Wilson, Shane Smith and even Anthony’s teammate Carlos Narváez have a giant headstart on him. Even when he performs properly, it will be arduous to catch as much as these guys with greater than a 3rd of the season already within the books.
If Anthony manages to tug that off, he would hasten his path to free company by a 12 months. In any other case, he could be on tempo to hit the open market after 2031 on the earliest, although future optionally available assignments might additionally influence that timeline.
Noda, 29, was simply acquired from the Angels a couple of weeks in the past in a money deal. He’s a 3 true outcomes man, with a number of homers and walks but additionally strikeouts. In 606 large league plate appearances, he has a 34.2% strikeout price, 15% stroll price 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 house runs, a 16% stroll price and 28.2% strikeout price. That results in a .259/.395/.474 line and 125 wRC+.
The Sox grabbed him for additional first base depth with the Casas harm 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 12 months and one further season. If he have been to move by 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 attainable. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first famous that Abreu was happening the IL, although Alex Speier of The Boston Globe had beforehand steered that an IL stint for Abreu was doubtless.
Pictures courtesy of Ashley Inexperienced, Imagn Pictures
