Finally, the Boston Red Sox are calling up promising young outfielder Roman Anthony, baseball's No. 1 prospect. He'll be in the lineup for their series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays to make his highly anticipated big league debut. The questions now become: Where in the outfield does the team put him? And at whose expense?
For the most part, All-Star Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela have been mainstays at left, right and center field, respectively. DH isn't an option due to the presence of franchise slugger Rafael Devers. How do the Red Sox make room for Anthony?
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Red Sox lineup after long-awaited Roman Anthony call-up
Batting Order | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
1 | Jarren Duran | LF |
2 | Rafael Devers | DH |
3 | Abraham Toro | 1B |
4 | Trevor Story | SS |
5 | Roman Anthony | RF |
6 | Marcelo Mayer | 3B |
7 | Ceddanne Rafaela | CF |
8 | Kristian Campbell | 2B |
9 | Connor Wong | C |
Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Anthony is batting fifth versus Tampa Bay and taking the place of Abreu, who's headed to the injured list. The corresponding move, albeit unfortunate, makes what would've otherwise been a difficult decision rather seamless for Red Sox manager Alex Cora. However, that means the "Roman Empire" will notably slot into the right field spot.
Of the three outfield positions, the left side is where Anthony has had the least amount of reps in the minors (31 games). His arm strength and solid speed for a player with a 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame make him viable at either corner, nonetheless. Besides, what he brings at the plate is the most important aspect of the long-overdue promotion.
Abreu is reportedly battling "an issue with his side," according to Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald. It ostensibly didn't appear to be a serious ailment at first thought. Alas, "things developed quickly," and the Red Sox felt he'd need "more than a couple [of] days to recover."
Anthony immediately brings firepower to a high-power Red Sox offense that ranks fifth in runs per game (4.93). He all but cemented that idea with a 497-foot grand slam in what fans hope will go down as his permanent farewell to the minors. The 21-year-old was slashing .288/.423/.491 with 10 homers and 29 RBIs while posting an excellent .913 OPS across 212 at-bats at Triple-A Worcester this season.