Sooner or later, the Boston Red Sox won't be able to ignore Roman Anthony any longer. That's not to say the organization isn't aware that baseball's top prospect is destroying Triple-A right now and knocking down the door for his call-up to the majors. However, it is to say that we're getting close to a point where the Red Sox have no choice but to shuffle up the outfield and get him into the lineup because of how much more dangerous he would make the offense.
How Boston manages the lineup and the outfield when Anthony gets called up has been a hot topic of debate. Ceddanne Rafaela is still the most obvious candidate to be pushed out, moving to a super-utility role, but his top-tier defense in center field makes even that somewhat difficult to swallow. At the same time, though, with some offensive stumbling for the Red Sox early in the season, that's the price that might need to be paid to get Anthony's bat involved.
Across 23 games and 102 plate appearances this season in Worcester, Anthony is slashing .313/.451/.588/1.039, which is actually up from his torrid 35-game pace at the end of last season. For good measure, he's smashed five home runs, five doubles and a triple with 21 walks and 21 strikeouts, below the MLB average strikeout rate in the minors.
Again, we're fast-approaching the point where Roman Anthony is simply undeniable. And if the Red Sox took a moment to look at the lineup once they insert him into it, they might find a way to get him into the fold.
Projected Red Sox lineup after Roman Anthony is called up
Red Sox Lineup | Position |
|---|---|
1. Jarren Duran | CF |
2. Rafael Devers | DH |
3. Alex Bregman | 3B |
4. Roman Anthony | LF |
5. Trevor Story | SS |
6. Wilyer Abreu | RF |
7. Kristian Campbell | 2B |
8. Triston Casas | 1B |
9. Carlos Narvaez | C |
Is it bold to have a rookie who turns 21 years old in May hitting clean-up? Probably! But with Triston Casas's struggles at the plate to begin the season when he was supposed to occupy that role in the lineup, the Red Sox need an answer behind Duran, Devers and Bregman. Anthony with his power and high-OBP combo could absolutely be that answer they're looking for.
Obviously, this would move Rafaela out of the lineup. However, Boston could get creative to preserve the health of Duran, Abreu and Anthony, as well as even Trevor Story at shortstop, by giving them days off to sub in Rafaela, giving the young future Gold Glover plenty of time on the field. But in terms of the team's best lineup, it's hard to get Rafaela in there, especially with his approach at the plate.
When you start to look at this lineup, though, how could rivals like the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East, as well as other American League contenders, not be a tad frightened? Casas has struggled, but if he starts to get right, having him down in the No. 8 hole is just a nightmare for opposing pitchers. The same is true for Anthony's fellow Big 3 member, Kristian Campbell, hitting sixth in the lineup despite having an .880+ OPS and hitting over .300 on the year in the big leagues.
Maybe the Red Sox wouldn't be as aggressive getting Anthony into the clean-up spot, possibly flipping him and Abreu in the lineup or something similar to start. However, if Anthony keeps up what he's been doing for the WooSox in the majors, that clean-up consideration will be a conversation quickly enough.
The biggest takeaway, however, is that the Red Sox need to quit dragging their feet here. Anthony has shown everything possible to prove he's ready to be in Boston. The sooner that the team realizes it, the sooner that the Red Sox will actually field the best lineup they can with the players currently in the organization.