By Ross Kelly
Facing a rash of injuries, the Boston Red Sox have dipped into their farm system and promoted the Golden Goose of their minor league system to the majors. Roman Anthony, the No. 1 prospect for the Red Sox and the top overall prospect in all of minor league baseball, was called up to the majors on Monday.
Anthony, a 21-year-old outfielder, was slotted fifth in the Red Sox batting order for Monday’s game versus AL East rival Tampa Bay. He played right field in his MLB debut, which is actually the position he played the least amount of time during his four seasons in the minors. His main position was center field, where he played 170 games, followed by left field (52 games), while he manned right field in 31 games. But with Gold Glove-caliber Red Sox players Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran manning center and left, respectively, Anthony took right.
An advantage of playing right field at Fenway Park is that Anthony doesn’t have to deal with the Green Monster in left field or The Triangle in center. Suffice to say, no minor league ballparks have features that resemble those. Prior to Monday’s game, Anthony talked about playing right field.
“I’m comfortable,” Anthony told the media. “I played there in the minor leagues, obviously more left, more center, more left as of recently. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m here, and I’m gonna try and help this team win no matter where that is. I’m just excited that I’m able to be a part of it, whether that’s in right, left, or center.”
He entered the 2025 MLB season as the No. 1 prospect per both Baseball Prospectus and CBS Sports, while ranking No. 2 with Baseball America and Major League Baseball. The call-up comes two days after he launched a 497-foot home run in a Triple-A game with the Worcester Red Sox. That is 13 feet longer than the longest home run by a Big League player this season—a 484-foot blast in April by three-time MVP Mike Trout.
For his 2025 minor league season, Anthony had a slash line of .288/.423/.491, and he led Worcester in OPS, hits, runs and home runs, among other categories. That’s despite being the youngest player on the team. Among all players in Triple-A, Anthony ranked first in walks, third in runs scored, fifth in on-base percentage and 10th in OPS.
A second-round pick by Boston in 2022, Anthony began his pro career at the Rookie level before being promoted to Single-A later that season. In 2023, he started in Single-A before being promoted to Double-A, and last year saw him make the jump from Double-A to Triple-A. In 2023, Boston named him its Minor League Offensive Player of the Year.
Anthony’s call-up had been anticipated since he began the season in the minors, but now he’s more of a necessity than a luxury for the Red Sox. With outfielder/DH Masataka Yoshida already on the injured list, the Sox lost starting right fielder Wilyer Abreu to a strained back muscle in Sunday’s win over the New York Yankees. He was just placed on the injured list on Monday, joining not only Yoshida but also infielders Alex Bregman and Triston Casas.
Filling in for an injured player is not the ideal way to get your MLB debut, but Red Sox manager Alex Cora is looking forward to what Anthony can supply the club. The skipper also hailed the maturity of Anthony, who just turned 21 last month, as he will be the youngest player to appear in an MLB game in 2025.
“We’re excited. It’s a big day for the organization,” Cora said before Monday’s game. “It’s not the perfect way of doing it, but he’s here. We’ll use him the right way, and we’ll help him with the adjustments that come with being a Big Leaguer. As far as the person, just being around him in Spring Training, he’s a mature kid. He understands his craft and wants to get better.
“There are a few things we still believe he needs to improve, but we’ll help him here. I think he’s gonna be OK.”
Boston entered play on Monday with a 32-35 record, sitting in fourth place in the AL East and 8.5 games back of the division-leading Yankees. Anthony adds to an already-strong offense as the Red Sox rank second in the AL in runs scored and OPS, while ranking first in hits and doubles.
However, pitching and fielding are where Boston has had issues, despite the presence of reigning Cy Young winner Chris Sale and elite defensive outfielders. The Red Sox have the fourth-highest ERA in the American League and are even worse in the field. Boston’s fielding percentage of .977 is the worst in the majors, while its 58 errors are the most.
