Red Sox fans have one question on their minds — and it’s getting louder by the day: Where the heck are Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer?
These two phenoms have been tearing it up at Triple-A Worcester. Anthony and Mayer aren’t just top Red Sox prospects; they’re among the best in all of baseball, ranked No. 1 and No. 8 on Baseball America’s Top 100 list. Meanwhile, Boston’s big-league squad has been stuck in mediocrity, sitting at a perfectly average 25-25 with more holes in the lineup than a slice of Swiss cheese.
So, what’s the holdup?
Well, the simplest answer is… there’s no obvious spot for them — yet. But manager Alex Cora isn’t exactly shutting the door. Back at the start of the season, he said point blank: “They’re going to push us to make decisions.” Spoiler alert — they have been.
Take Roman Anthony. The guy’s batting .322 with a .970 OPS and is lighting up every advanced metric imaginable. When asked what more Anthony needs to do, Cora shrugged and said, “That’s a great question.” Translation: even Cora knows the kid’s ready, but for now, the timing just isn’t right. “We’ve got some guys here that are playing great baseball,” he added. “At one point, I believe they’re going to be part of this. But right now, we haven’t made that decision.”
If Anthony’s blocked, Mayer might have a clearer path — mostly thanks to the black hole currently occupying shortstop. Trevor Story’s season has been… rough. He’s hitting .232 overall and has dipped to a dismal .135 over the past month. Even his usually solid defense has taken a hit. Things have gotten so dire, Story’s now batting seventh, below recent call-up Nick Sogard. Ouch.
On top of that, the Red Sox have been scrambling at first base since Triston Casas and Romy Gonzalez hit the injured list, and Kristian Campbell’s early-season magic has vanished. Now Campbell’s taking reps at first — possibly to make room for Mayer at second base. Coincidence? Probably not.
Mayer, who’s driven in 41 runs (second in all of minor league baseball!), has recently started playing more at second. He’s now started there four times in the last five games after barely logging any time there before. Connect the dots.
As for Anthony? It’s trickier. Demoting Ceddanne Rafaela seems like the easy move, but he’s been a defensive wizard and has shown signs of life at the plate. Jarren Duran has caught fire, and Wilyer Abreu? He’s quietly becoming one of the most complete players in the league.
So for now, Boston’s riding with the roster they’ve got. But if Anthony and Mayer keep doing what they’re doing, the Red Sox won’t be able to hold them back much longer — and frankly, they may not want to.
