Roman Anthony Reacts to Marcelo Mayer Trade After Red Sox Sent Infielder to Giants at MLB Deadline

There was a time when it seemed like Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer would be building blocks for the Boston Red Sox for the foreseeable future, but that is no longer the case after they traded the latter to the San Francisco Giants.

Anthony offered his first public comments on the trade Tuesday.

"He was my roommate since I was 18, 19 years old," he told reporters. "… Seeing him go, I was excited for him to kind of get a new opportunity, almost like a refresh … to be back close to home, I think it will be good for him, hopefully get to see him come to Boston. That would be pretty cool, right? But you know, I was sad, obviously spoke to him, still speak to him quite a bit … Hope all goes well for him always."

The comments were all the more notable because Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow dismissed rumors there were off-field issues with Anthony and Mayer earlier this month.

"I think nonsense is a good characterization of that," he said during an appearance on WEEI (1:10 mark). "There are no issues with Marcelo and Roman off the field. … There are no issues, there never were issues. Marcelo and Roman are great guys and very talented who were doing everything they can to get back on the field."

Boston selected Mayer with the No. 4 overall pick of the 2021 MLB draft and then took Anthony in the second round of the 2022 draft.

Yet Mayer never lived up to the massive expectations that were in place in large part because of injuries. He suffered a wrist injury that required season-ending surgery last year and has been sidelined since June 25 of this season because of a bone stress reaction in his left forearm. 

When he does return, he will do so for a Giants team that is largely playing out the string on the campaign at 22 games under .500.

That is not the case for the Red Sox, who occupy the second American League wild-card spot and are just two games behind the rival New York Yankees for the first one. They have climbed the standings without much help from Anthony, who hasn't played since May 4 because of a tendon injury.

However, he's on a rehab assignment and could be returning to the team in the near future for the stretch run.