No. 1 overall prospect Roman Anthony shows trademark poise in whirlwind debut

BOSTON -- Roman Anthony's dad got two phone calls from his son Monday afternoon.

The first? Anthony was about to board a bus to Lehigh Valley where Triple-A Worcester will take on the IronPigs on Tuesday.

The second? There’d been a change of plans. Anthony was headed to Fenway Park.

The lethal bat that turned Anthony into MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 overall prospect has led to the 21-year-old’s much-anticipated promotion to the Red Sox. Outfielder Wilyer Abreu was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain and first baseman/DH Ryan Noda was designated for assignment in corresponding moves.

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Anthony, wearing No. 48, went 0-for-4 with a strikeout, a walk, an RBI groundout and an error in Boston’s 10-8 loss in 11 innings in the series opener vs. the Rays at Fenway Park.

“Just trying to help this team win any way I can,” Anthony said shortly after arriving in Boston. “Same game, [but] I haven't been a part of [this] yet. I'm excited to do that for the first time tonight. But no, it's just more of excitement. It's more of knowing that you're ready, just trusting in my ability to go out there, and have fun and play with these guys and help the team win.”

For weeks, Red Sox Nation had clamored for Anthony to join a team that has struggled to meet expectations.

When Anthony mauled a Statcast-projected 497-foot grand slam for Triple-A Worcester on Saturday, the buzz surrounding his callup got even louder.

From Dustin Pedroia to Xander Bogaerts to Rafael Devers to Mookie Betts to even the recent promotion of Marcelo Mayer, the Sox have cultivated several prospects who have generated significant hype from fans and media throughout their time in the Minors.

However, none of those players was the top-ranked prospect in the game at the time of their big league debut, making Anthony’s ascension all the more noteworthy.

“I think before, it was just more of not really paying too much attention to it and trying to get better,” Anthony said. “When I was in Triple-A, [I spent] every day trying to improve on everything I [could]. That way, when I get here it's more than ready. But now that I'm here, I think it's just to continue to do that and continue to learn from the guys who are here, who have been in my shoes. Just kind of lean on my teammates, go out and have fun and try to help the team win.”

Anthony’s shoes, as it turns out, weren’t his own on Monday. With the call-up coming so late in the day, his equipment was already on the bus to Lehigh Valley by the time he left for Fenway. Anthony arrived in Boston with his glove, but had to borrow a WooSox teammate’s cleats. And luckily for the top prospect, his good buddy Mayer had one of his bats already at Fenway.

Anthony flied out to left in his first professional at-bat, and hit a scorching lineout 111.2 mph off the bat in the fourth. He drew a full-count walk in Boston’s two-run seventh to put runners at first and second before Kristian Campbell struck out to end the rally.

“Good,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Being able to slow it down. The walk, hit the ball hard twice, stayed up the middle, didn't try to do too much. It was a good first day.”

A left-handed hitter, Anthony is not only known for his power and hard-hit rate (his much-discussed grand slam was scalded at 115.6 mph), but for his standout plate discipline.

In 212 at-bats for Worcester this season, Anthony has a batting line of .288/.423/.491 with 10 homers and 29 RBIs.

Defensively, Anthony probably projects best as a left fielder in the Majors, though he got the start in right for his debut. He made his first big league error in the top of the fifth on a Yandy Díaz liner that got under his glove and allowed Brandon Lowe to score.

“Just can't happen,” Anthony said. “... I've dealt with that skip a million times in my career. And it's tough to get in a game like that. You feel like that's the reason why we lost, little things like that.”

Boston has the option to move Jarren Duran, a Gold Glove finalist in center field last season, from left to center.

Ceddanne Rafaela, a premier defender in center, is versatile and can play all over the infield, enabling the Sox to call up Anthony before clearing out the log-jam in the outfield.

“We'll talk about it,” Cora said. “It's one of those that we’ll make adjustments on the fly, but we’ll play him [in right].”

It was telling that even though there wasn’t a spot for him on the Opening Day roster, the Red Sox had Anthony spend the entirety of Spring Training in Major League camp.

It has been a swift rise for Anthony, who was drafted out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (South Florida) with the 79th overall pick in the 2022 Draft.

Anthony was at Double-A for the final 10 games of his first full pro season in ‘23, an unusually fast ascent for a high school draftee.

Now, he will have a chance to display his skills at the highest level and in one of the most demanding markets.

Known for his quiet confidence and unflappable demeanor, Anthony has given every reason to believe he can handle this next chapter.