Red Sox Won’t Soon Promote Roman Anthony, Despite Torrid Stretch

Roman Anthony should probably be preparing for his debut with the Boston Red Sox on Friday.

It’s just not that simple, though.

Anthony has been abusing the baseball lately, capping off his torrid stretch with a pair of home runs for the Worcester Red Sox in a doubleheader victory over the Rochester Red Wings. Triple-A seemingly can’t contain him, as he’s now slashing .283/.433/.585 with four home runs and a pair of stolen bases while hitting the ball harder than anyone in the entire system.

Yes, this is all true, but taking an extended look at the optics of the situation pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the timing of his eventual call.

Boston either needed to make it a week ago, or must wait things out until mid-summer.

Major League Baseball has rules in place that encourage teams to promote prospects early, as the league looks to crack down on manipulating service time. The Red Sox didn’t let that influence their decision over the first few weeks of the season, but now the official date has passed where the club would lose a year on his arbitration if the 20-year-old won 2025 American League Rookie of the Year. It’s not exactly crazy to think Anthony would be in contention if promoted, so the smartest thing to do in their current state is to wait things out — for that reason, and a few more.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow made an appearance on WEEI’s “Greg Hill Show” on Thursday and explained the club’s decision-making process this way.

“I don’t think we want to waste anything,” Breslow said. “I think what we want to make sure is that when Roman comes to the big leagues, he’s able to step in and be successful — that there is clear opportunity for him to get the runway that he’ll need as a 20-year-old. I think there are still some development opportunities that he is tackling in Worcester right now, but we are really excited about what Roman has done thus far, and what we think he’s capable of.”

What does that mean?

Anthony is currently blocked in the big leagues. Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu are the outfield trio in Boston, with the middle man holding a distinct advantage over the rookie due to his insane glove and right-handed bat. It’s not perfect logic, but you can at least see where we’re coming from, right?

No?

OK, then listen to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, who on Thursday reported baseball’s top prospect is currently dealing with minor shoulder soreness. The Red Sox will have him back in the field soon, but until then, there’s zero chance he takes on the designated hitter role at the big league level.

The Chicago White Sox are in town for a four-game series and have a couple of unheralded pitchers slated to take the mound at Fenway Park. Anthony would probably crush them.

Boston already made its bed when it comes to the promising youngster, though.

It’s extremely unlikely that he debuts anytime soon, so just keep those thoughts on standby until Anthony falls out of contention for individual awards and back into contention for the call. It’s looking like late May or early June, folks.