As the Boston Red Sox struggled and underwhelmed through the easiest part of their schedule in the first quarter of the season, two of their top prospects have raked in Triple-A.
Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer have both made excellent cases for a call-up this season. Anthony, Boston's No. 1 prospect and the top prospect in baseball according to Baseball America, has dominated Triple-A pitching since his promotion there in August of last season. He's batting .298/.416/.473 with a .889 OPS over 36 games.
Mayer has fared similarly well after his Triple-A debut at the start of this season. He's slashing .275/.342/.500 with a .842 OPS and 34 RBI, which ties his 2024 total, in 35 games, maintaining his famously smooth defense all the while.
Through Anthony and Mayer's dominance, fans and MLB personalities have wondered when the Red Sox will finally pull the trigger and call them up. Boston's front office attests that they each need more time to develop in their respective positions, but the eye test begs to differ — Rob Bradford of WEEI reports that a scout who's been following the WooSox says Mayer is "ready now."
The Red Sox could desperately use the offensive and morale boost that the two top prospects could provide. After two consecutive extra innings losses to the Tigers, Boston has sunk to a 4-12 record in one-run games and risen to a staggering 124 strikeouts with runners in scoring position and an MLB-leading 12 blown saves. If Anthony and Mayer can continue their recent offensive success in the big leagues, it could jolt the Red Sox back to life.
One of the main justifications for leaving Anthony and Mayer in Worcester is that the Red Sox have no place to play them. But good teams often have to make hard decisions, and two big leaguers who play their positions haven't given the offense enough juice so far.
The Red Sox are desperate for a spark that Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer could provide
Jarren Duran's offensive regression has drastically cut down the Red Sox's run production. He can do incredible things with his speed when he gets on base, but his 44 strikeouts and 16th-percentile chase rate are cause for concern. Duran is slashing .254/.300/.381, a significant decrease from his 2024 production, .285/.342/.492 over 160 games.
Trevor Story has also struggled at the plate lately. The shortstop posted a torrid stretch from early to mid-April when he recorded 28 hits in 18 games. He's only notched nine hits since April 22 and his slash line is down to .239/.283/.362 on the season.
The Red Sox have hovered around .500 through the easiest part of their schedule, and low offensive production from their stars isn't going to cut it against tough opponents like the Tigers and Mets. Their schedule is only getting harder — they haven't played a game against the AL East-leading Yankees yet, and most of their games have been AL matchups. Boston's poor roster construction should not keep it from fielding its best team, and for now, that team seems to include Anthony and Mayer.