Roman Anthony's Call-Up to Red Sox Excites MLB Fans Amid Team's Struggles

After months of fan outcry, the Boston Red Sox have finally called up top prospect Roman Anthony.

Anthony is set to make his MLB debut Monday night, batting fifth in the Red Sox lineup for their home matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays. He replaces Wilyer Abreu, who was placed on the injured list, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.

After news of Anthony's reported call-up, the internet was buzzing.

The long-awaited move comes after Anthony launched the longest home run in an affiliated baseball game this season—a 497-foot grand slam for the WooSox on Saturday that left his bat at 115.6 mph.

Following the viral blast, Red Sox manager Alex Cora addressed the media, who had been pressing for answers amid mounting anticipation for the 21-year-old’s call-up.

“It’s just a matter of what we’re going to do, how we’re going to do it, and when we’re going to do it,” Cora said, per The Boston Globe's Tim Healey. “I keep getting the questions and that’s my best answer.”

Cora has long recognized the talent in the Red Sox’s top-ranked prospect, who enters the big leagues from Worcester with a batting line of .288/.423/.491, 10 home runs and 29 RBI.

"Just watching not only the highlights and all that, but watching what he's doing offensively, it's been impressive,” Cora told reporters recently. “And we knew this about him. The way he controls the strike zone, how hard he hits the ball.”

Rosenthal had called out the Red Sox on Sunday for not promoting Anthony, criticizing the team for holding back its top prospect while continuing to slip in the AL East standings.

"The Sox, which are 31-35, 9 1/2 games out of first place, four games back in the wild card, cannot waste more time. Their best defensive alignment would be Anthony in left, Jarren Duran in center and a combination of Ceddanne Rafaela and David Hamilton at second," Rosenthal said on Sunday.

The call-up couldn’t come at a better time. Following a 2-1 series win over the New York Yankees, the Red Sox are riding momentum—and the addition of Anthony should only add fuel to the fire.