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CBS News
10-06-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Roman Anthony goes hitless but logs first RBI in Red Sox debut after whirlwind day
Roman Anthony was ready to get on a bus and make a four-hour trip to Lehigh Valley, Pa. on Monday with the Worcester Red Sox. But he received a phone call just before the trek that gave him a new destination: Fenway Park in Boston. The top prospect in all of baseball had finally received his promotion to the Majors Leagues, and now had to get to Boston for his professional debut. The only problem was most of his stuff was packed away on the WooSox bus, so the 21-year-old had to borrow a glove and some cleats from a teammate before hopping in his car and racing to Boston. It wasn't exactly how Anthony envisioned making his MLB debut, but that's usually how life goes. At least Anthony had one of his bats and hit the traffic jackpot on his way to the city. He arrived at Fenway Park a little after 5 p.m., and then held court with reporters in the Red Sox dugout before his debut. "There wasn't too much traffic," Anthony joked with reporters. "A little bit of a short notice, but better than being on the bus to Lehigh Valley." Wearing No. 48 for Boston, Anthony was thrown right into the fire on a misty and foggy night at Fenway Park. Alex Cora had him hit fifth in the order, and Anthony went 0-for-4 with a strikeout, a walk, and his first career RBI late in the game. Though he didn't log his first hit, Anthony made good contract twice and showed a lot of poise and patience as he drew his first career walk. He played out of position in right field in place of the injured Wilyer Abreu, where Anthony committed an error in the top of the fifth. The Red Sox lost, 10-8, in 11 innings, but Anthony said it was nice to get his debut out of the way. Now he can focus on simply playing baseball in the big leagues. "It was awesome," Anthony said of his debut. "It was nice to just take the field and forget all of the outside noise. But it was unfortunate we couldn't get a win." The future of the Red Sox is now in the big leagues, and developing Anthony (along with Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell) should be the goal the rest of the year. Anthony became the youngest Red Sox player with an RBI since Rafael Devers drove in a run as a 20-year-old in 2017. Anthony is the youngest player to drive in a run in their MLB debut since Luis Alvarado did so at 19 in 1968. Roman Anthony's MLB Debut In his first at-bat in the bottom of the second, Anthony stepped to the plate with one on and no outs against Rays starter Shane Baz. He held off swinging at a high fastball on the first pitch he saw as a Major Leaguer, but then popped out to left field on the second pitch. In his second at-bat with no one on and one out in the bottom of the fourth, Anthony sent a rocket back off Baz on a 2-1 fastball. The ball left his bat at 111 mph, caromed off the pitcher and went right to Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, who threw on to first to retire Anthony. It went in the scorebook as a 1-5-3 putout. Anthony had a chance to make some real noise in his third at-bat, when he stepped to the dish with runners on first and second and no outs with Boston trailing, 3-1, in the bottom of the sixth. Kevin Cash brought in lefty Garrett Cleavinger, and Anthony remained in the game to face the southpaw. The rookie fell behind 0-2 on two straight sinkers, but didn't chase a Cleavinger sweeper out of the zone to make it a 1-2 count. The reliever then froze Anthony with an 80 mph sweeper that looked like it was going to hit him, but broke down the middle for the strikeout. Romy Gonzalez doubled two batters later to tie the game, 3-3. Anthony was back up in the bottom of the seventh after a Trevor Story RBI single cut Boston's deficit to 6-5. He got ahead in the count 2-0, but then watched two strikes by righty Manuel Rodriguez. He worked the count full (as Story stole second) and drew a walk, as Anthony never swung the bat. The 21-year-old showed some great plate discipline to lay off some appetizing sliders from the Rays reliever. Anthony had a chance for some heroics in the bottom of the ninth. He stepped to the plate with Boston down 7-5 with runners on second and third and one out against Rays righty Pete Fairbanks. He watched a slider for strike one, and then hit it hard up the middle on the second pitch. Shortstop Taylor Walls was able to gun Anthony down at first, but Devers scored to give Anthony his first career RBI and make it a 7-6 ballgame Campbell chopped an infield single to score the tying run for Boston and send the game to extras. Anthony was lifted for pinch hitter Rob Refsnyder in the 11th, and though he was 0-for-4, the phenom was happy with his at-bats in his debut. "I thought I swung at good pitches, unfortunate some of those balls couldn't skip up the middle and drive more runs in," said Anthony. "But I felt like I did a good job of putting the bat on the ball and trying to get guys in." "Good," Cora said of Anthony's debut. "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." Roman Anthony's fielding error Anthony only played four games in right field for the WooSox, and hadn't played the position since early May until Monday night. Fenway Park has one of the most difficult right fields in all of baseball, so it was a tall task for a rookie in his debut. Anthony had a costly miscue in right in the top of the fifth, when he let a ball off the bat of Yandy Diaz get under his glove. He misplayed the ball, trying to field it from the side rather than head on, which allowed Brandon Lowe to score all the way from first and put Tampa on top, 3-0, at the time. "Just can't happen," Anthony said of his error. "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." Who is Roman Anthony? Anthony was called up Monday after he slashed 288/.423/.491 with 10 home runs, nine doubles, and 29 RBI for the WooSox this season. In 2024, Anthony put up a .291/.396/.498 line with 18 homers, 32 doubles, four triples, 65 RBI, 93 runs scored, and 21 stolen bases over 119 games between Worcester and Double-A Portland. Anthony was drafted by Boston 79th overall (second round) in the 2022 Draft out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alex Cora: Roman Anthony isn't just knocking at door of MLB debut, he's knocking it down
Roman Anthony is the last of the Red Sox' Big 3 who remains in the minors. And with Boston in the midst of arguably its worst baseball this season, many have wondered what more baseball's No. 1 prospect has to do to get the call. 'I know at some point Roman is going to be here,' Red Sox manager Alex Cora told WEEI on Thursday afternoon. Advertisement Anthony was in the Worcester Red Sox' lineup as their leadoff hitter for Thursday's game, so it was confirmed he wasn't on a plane to Atlanta to meet the Red Sox for their series against the Braves that begins Friday. Going into Thursday's WooSox game, Anthony was batting .318 with eight home runs, 23 RBI and a .978 OPS. The 21-year-old's home runs have had exit velocities of 116 mph. 'Obviously, he's doing an outstanding job. He's getting better,' Cora said. 'He's not knocking at the door, he's knocking it down.' Kristian Campbell made the Red Sox Opening Day roster, and Marcelo Mayer was recently called up due to Alex Bregman's quad injury that will sideline him for weeks. Chief baseball officer told WEEI's 'The Greg Hill Show' that the team wants to make sure that Anthony is an everyday player when they decide to bring him up, and admitted the outfielder's time is coming. Advertisement At some point, Anthony will be with the big league club. It's a matter of when and not if at this point. 'When we make the decision. I know everybody is going to be happy,' Cora said. 'And I know he's going to contribute.' More Red Sox coverage Read the original article on MassLive.
CBS News
25-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Watch the moment top prospect Marcelo Mayer got called up to the Boston Red Sox
Rafael Devers tells Red Sox he won't play first base. What happens now? Rafael Devers tells Red Sox he won't play first base. What happens now? Rafael Devers tells Red Sox he won't play first base. What happens now? Saturday was likely a day Marcelo Mayer, one of the top prospects in all of Major League Baseball, will remember for the rest of his life. And the camera was rolling as Mayer found out he had been called up to make his debut with the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox and Worcester Red Sox were both playing doubleheaders on Saturday at their home ballparks. Third baseman Alex Bregman suffered a quad injury Friday night, and when he woke up Saturday morning it had gotten worse. Bregman is now expected to miss an extended amount of time. As a result, Mayer was pulled from the lineup in Worcester in the first game of the doubleheader as the Red Sox made a decision on who would replace Bregman in the lineup for the second game. Boston eventually decided to place Bregman on the 10-day injured list and call up Mayer, who was selected No. 4 overall in the 2021 amateur draft. Marcelo Mayer called up The Red Sox shared a video of WooSox manager Chad Tracy breaking the news to Mayer. "I don't think they want you to start game two either. So we're just going to just play it by ear. But it'd be hard to start game two here if you're going to be active in Fenway tonight," Tracy said. Marcelo gets the call: — Red Sox (@RedSox) May 24, 2025 Mayer starts clapping when he learns the news. "Holy s—t," Mayer said. Mayer ended up being slotted sixth in the lineup at Fenway Park. He went 0-4 with three strikeouts on the day and the Red Sox lost to Baltimore, 2-1, for a doubleheader split. But it was still a day to remember for the Red Sox prospect.
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Top MLB prospect faces embarrassing setback after getting called up to the big leagues by Boston Red Sox
Saturday began like any other day for Boston Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer as he was set to play for the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox that evening. That was, until the call came. Alex Bregman, Boston's starting third baseman, was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right quad strain suffered in a game on Friday. In his stead, Mayer was called up to take the drive 45 minutes across Interstate 90 from Polar Park to Fenway Park. There was just one problem: Mayer couldn't drive himself to Boston. Mayer lost the keys to his car 'like three weeks ago' and wasn't able to drive himself to the ballpark. So, hilarious images of Mayer jumping out of the back seat of a car with his glove circulated as the California native prepared for his first at-bats in the big leagues. Mayer said that a clubhouse staff member was the one that drove him to Fenway. Marcelo gets the call: — Red Sox (@RedSox) May 24, 2025 Saturday was a day of big change for Red Sox prospect Marcelo Mayer as he made his debut The topsy-turvy day may have had an effect on Mayer at the plate as he went 0-for-4 On a big day for the Red Sox No. 2 prospect - and MLB's No. 8 prospect - Mayer may have been a little jolted by the day's turn of events. He struggled at the plate in the second game of Boston's doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles, going 0-for-4 in the Red Sox's 2-1 loss. But his first at-bat in the majors was met with resounding applause and a standing ovation from the Fenway faithful. 'It was awesome,' he said. 'I've never experienced anything like that before in my life. 'I actually just got done texting my friends and parents about that moment. That's something I'll remember the rest of my life.' But he admitted that those big-league nerves may have gotten to him at the plate. 'I felt like I tried to do too much with runners on base,' Mayer said. 'I feel like next time I've got to do a better job than that.' He'll get a chance at redemption on Sunday when the Red Sox battle the Orioles again in the fourth game of their Memorial Day Weekend series. Dean Kremer is set to take the mound for Baltimore while Boston turns to Walker Buehler.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Red Sox top prospect Marcelo Mayer's big-league arrival delayed by lost car keys
The Red Sox are calling up top prospect Marcelo Mayer after Alex Bregman was injured in Friday's game against the Orioles, the team announced Saturday. Mayer is one of the top prospects in baseball, and Boston could use a boost with Bregman's near future uncertain. He left Friday's game with quad tightness and manager Alex Cora didn't have more information after the game. With Bregman out, Katie Morrison O'Day of MassLive reported that teammates were congratulating Meyer in the Worcester Red Sox clubhouse on Saturday. Boston posted video of Mayer getting the call on social media. Marcelo gets the call: — Red Sox (@RedSox) May 24, 2025 Shortly after, MassLive's Christopher Smith confirmed the 22-year-old was en route to Fenway Park. However, that trip was delayed for a somewhat relatable reason: Mayer's car keys have been lost for weeks and he needed a ride to Fenway from a Worcester clubhouse attendant. We're waiting for Marcelo Mayer to leave Polar Park but apparently he cannot find his car keys. Here is the group waiting to send him off — Katie Morrison-O'Day (@KatieMo61) May 24, 2025 Marcelo Mayer lost his car keys a few weeks ago and hadn't gotten new ones yet, so a WooSox clubbie had to drive him to Fenway for his MLB debut. — Gabrielle Starr (@gfstarr1) May 24, 2025 Meyer's big opportunity comes after he batted 271/.347/.471 in 43 appearances for Triple-A affiliate Worcester this season. He also became the hit leader in the International League by blasting nine home runs, five doubles and a triple with 43 RBI. His impressive performances led Meyer to be ranked as Boston's second-best prospect, behind Roman Anthony, and eighth-best in baseball on MLB Pipeline's rankings. The Chula Vista, California, native played collegiate baseball at USC and was selected by the Red Sox with the fourth pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. Meyer could debut in the second game of a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles at 6:35 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Red Sox are 26-26 and sit in third place in the AL East after a 19-5 loss on Friday.
