MLB Insider Says Red Sox Keeping Roman Anthony in Minors 'Makes Zero Sense'

There is reportedly some confusion within Major League Baseball regarding why the Boston Red Sox have yet to call up top prospect Roman Anthony.

MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo spoke to an anonymous American League talent evaluator who told him Anthony's situation "makes zero sense to me."

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow gave some insight into the team's thought process in an interview with ESPN's Jeff Passan:

"It's really difficult to predict that someone is going to be successful out of the gate," Breslow told Passan. "You're making these long-term, probabilistic bets that guys who perform the way Kristian and Marcelo and Roman have tend to be productive big leaguers. But does that happen in Week 1, Month 1, Season 1? You don't know. You try to round out their development as well as possible. It's really important that communication between our major league staff and player-development group is seamless so we know exactly what their training, game-planning and routines look like so we can control as many of those variables as possible knowing what we can't control."

Breslow also told Passan that he tries to make these decisions "as unemotionally as possible."

Red Sox manager Alex Cora also weighed in on a potential Anthony call up while speaking with WEEI, saying "He's not knocking on the door [to the majors], he's knocking it down, let's be honest."

Anthony, 21, was a second-round pick in the 2022 MLB draft, and he has quickly ascended the prospect rankings with MLB.com rating him as the No. 1 overall prospect in baseball.

After dominating at the High-A level, Anthony began last season at Double-A and received a call-up to Triple-A by the end of the season.

In 119 games across Double-A and Triple-A in 2024, Anthony slashed .291/.396/.498 with 18 home runs, 65 RBI and 21 stolen bases.

Anthony subsequently began this season at Triple-A and his game has reached another level at Worcester, as he is slashing .318/.450/.528 with eight homers, 23 RBI and three steals.

Most impressively, Anthony's eye at the plate has improved significantly this season as evidenced by his 44 walks compared to only 45 strikeouts.

Last week, the Red Sox called up MLB's No. 8 overall prospect in infielder Marcelo Mayer, leading to speculation regarding whether Anthony would follow him soon after.

Boston has missed the playoffs in three straight seasons, and it is currently trending toward a fourth, as it sits in fourth place in the AL East with a 27-31 record.

Pitching has been a far bigger issue than hitting since the Red Sox are sixth in Major League Baseball in runs scored, but there is undoubtedly room for Anthony in the lineup right now.

While center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela is strong defensively, he has been something of a black hole in the lineup, slashing .232/.283/.356 with three home runs and 20 RBI.

Additionally, third baseman Alex Bregman and first baseman Triston Casas are on the injured list, leaving some clear holes in the lineup.

The Red Sox may not want to rush their prized prospects to the big leagues, but if they continue to struggle, Anthony may be the only person who can save their floundering season.