Red Sox Manager Alex Cora Weighs In On Roman Anthony Debate

Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has said his piece about the organization not yet promoting top prospect Roman Anthony to the big leagues.

Why the 21-year-old outfielder, who is deserving of a call up, remains with Triple-A Worcester despite the Red Sox scuffling is a question that can’t be ignored for those in decision-making roles with the franchise.

Alex Cora was asked to weigh in on the matter Tuesday when making his weekly appearance on “WEEI Afternoons” and the Red Sox manager took a diplomatic approach when addressing the situation.

“Roman is doing well. He’s getting better,” Cora said. “As of now, this is the roster that we have, and we’re going to maximize that. We’re very proud of the work he’s put in down there. And like I said last week, he’s not knocking at the door, he’s kicking it. So, we’ll see what happens in the future.”

There’s not much, if anything, left for Anthony to prove that he belongs in the majors. He is slashing .303/.430/.492 with an eye-catching .922 OPS to go along with eight home runs and 23 RBIs in 53 games with Worcester this season. Anthony also showed tremendous plate discipline, walking (45) almost as many times as he has struck out (49).

Unlike when fellow top prospect Marcelo Mayer got called up less than two weeks ago, there’s no clear position opening for Anthony with the three starting outfield spots taken by Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu. And the Red Sox appear reluctant to move one of those three players in favor of Anthony.

Even with that, it’s still not a matter of if, but when will Anthony get to join the Red Sox in the big leagues. But trying to determine exactly when that will happen remains a mystery.

It could be in a matter of days or potentially weeks. Breslow and Cora probably know when, but they are keeping any details about Anthony’s impending promotion close to the vest.