Top Red Sox Prospect Roman Anthony Out Of Friday’s Triple-A Lineup

Boston Red Sox fans may have gotten their hopes up when seeing Friday’s Worcester Red Sox lineup.

Roman Anthony is noticeably absent from the Triple-A affiliate’s lineup card. The 21-year-old outfielder won’t start the minor league contest against the Rochester Red Wings at Polar Park.

He’s also not on his way to the majors just yet.

Courtesy of ABC6’s Ian Steele, Worcester Red Sox spokesperson Bill Wanless confirmed that Anthony is still with the team, but merely receiving a routine rest day.

“Before anyone goes crazy – and you can still go crazy if you want! – today is a scheduled off-day for Roman Anthony so he is not in the WooSox starting lineup tonight,” Wanless said. “Roman has started the last 33 WooSox games, and the last time he has not played is Sunday, April 27.”

The Red Sox aren’t flying Anthony to the Big Apple for this weekend’s series against the New York Yankees. However, it’s likely only a matter of time before he receives a highly anticipated promotion.

Anthony has shown why he’s MLB.com’s top-ranked prospect by batting .291/.422/.485 with nine home runs in 56 games this season. Although younger than most of his competition, the left-handed hitter has showcased a refined plate approach by upping his walk rate (18.8%) and dropping his strikeouts (21.1%) from last year.

While Anthony’s play justifies a call-up, there’s no clear opening in Boston’s outfield. Jarren Duran has left field locked down. Ceddanne Rafaela leads all center fielders in Defensive Runs Saved and is heating up at the plate, homering in three straight games. Meanwhile, right fielder Wilyer Abreu wields an .847 OPS against right-handed pitching.

The Red Sox should eventually find a way to make room for Anthony, but everyone must wait a bit longer for his debut.