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 checklist with a left indirect pressure. First baseman/outfielder Ryan Noda has been designated for task 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 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 of a powerful 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 high spot.
Between Anthony, Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer, and Kyle Teel, the Sox had 4 large prospects producing pleasure this previous offseason. The 4 have been typically talked about in commerce rumors and Teel was ultimately flipped to the White Sox as a part of the Garrett Crochet deal, although the opposite three remained and nonetheless supplied numerous 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 doable. Nonetheless, 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 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 depart a clear path for Anthony to get enjoying time, particularly with Rafael Devers taking over 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 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 strive his hand at first base. Then third baseman Alex Bregman went on the IL with a quad damage that might maintain him out for a few months, however the Sox by no means appeared to actually think about the potential of asking Devers about going again there.
As all that was occurring, Anthony continued to place up huge numbers for Worcester. As of at this time, he has a .288/.423/.491 line and 146 wRC+. He has ten dwelling runs and three steals in 58 video games. His 19.2% stroll charge is sort of as excessive as his 21.1% strikeout charge. Now, lastly, it looks as if this Abreu damage will open the door for him to get to the massive leagues.
Because the season drags alongside, the enjoying time puzzle would possibly return. That may depend upon Abreu’s damage and the way lengthy it would take him to get again. In some unspecified time in the future, perhaps Masataka Yoshida will lastly get wholesome and re-enter the equation.
It’s doable issues will work out organically. Different accidents could come up earlier than these guys heal up. Anthony would possibly battle, as even one of the best prospects can generally want a little bit of time to get their ft moist within the massive leagues. Campbell additionally adopted a scorching April with a tough Could. If he doesn’t get again on observe, maybe he may get optioned to the minors with Rafaela transferring to the infield. However alternatively, Rafaela is one of the 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 may also be long-term issues to be sorted out. The crowded outfield state of affairs has led to commerce rumors surrounding Duran. Bregman may 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 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 will’t engineer a comeback this 12 months, gamers like Anthony, Mayer, Campbell, Rafael, Duran, Abreu and others could be affordably managed for years to come back, 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 normal manner, they gained’t be capable to earn an additional draft choose 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 Yr voting, although that might be powerful 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 effectively, it could be exhausting 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 12 months. In any other case, he could be on tempo to hit the open market after 2031 on the earliest, although future non-obligatory assignments may additionally affect 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 plenty of homers and walks but additionally strikeouts. In 606 massive league plate appearances, he has a 34.2% strikeout charge, 15% stroll charge 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 dwelling runs, a 16% stroll charge and 28.2% strikeout charge. That results in a .259/.395/.474 line and 125 wRC+.
The Sox grabbed him for further 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 may 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 go via waivers unclaimed, he would persist with 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 doable. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first famous that Abreu was occurring the IL, although Alex Speier of The Boston Globe had beforehand advised that an IL stint for Abreu was probably.
Images courtesy of Ashley Inexperienced, Imagn Photos
