Triston Casas is off to quite a slow start in the Boston Red Sox's 2025 season, and it's becoming increasingly obvious that the team lacks first base depth.
Romy González has played first base on Casas' off days, but Boston seems unlikely to turn to him as a long-term solution at the corner because he's so valuable as a utility player and pinch-hitter. Some Red Sox fans and personalities have suggested that the team begin training top outfield prospect Roman Anthony at first base. Most of the chatter seemingly stems from a social media post by Tony Massarotti, a radio host on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
"If I’m the Red Sox, I start playing Roman Anthony at first base in Worcester," he wrote on April 8. It should be noted that he's no fan of Casas, which could be the main motivation for his strange proposal.
The Red Sox have a surplus of outfielders with Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Masataka Yoshida, Rob Refsnyder and Anthony in the mix for roster spots. It seems like moving Anthony to first base could kill two birds with one stone by clearing the outfield logjam and taking Casas' lagging bat out of the lineup, but the move doesn't actually make any sense.
WooSox manager says they will not play Roman Anthony at first base
Luckily, the Red Sox organization agrees. WooSox manager Chad Tracy said on April 22 that they will not play Anthony at first base, per Katie Morrison-O'Day of MassLive on Twitter (subscription required).
Anthony is a natural outfielder and changing his position so close to his MLB debut, which is still unannounced but expected to be sometime in 2025, is risky. Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow expressed that frequent position changes between shortstop and center field hampered Ceddanne Rafaela's development in 2024, and they won't take the same chance with their top prospect.
Anthony has crushed minor league pitching in 2024 and early in 2025, and some Sox fans may believe a position switch will help him reach the big leagues quicker. But not only has he never started a game in the infield in his minor league career, but he also dealt with some mild shoulder soreness that temporarily kept him out of the outfield. Anthony played left field on April 23 for the first time since April 11. His .273/.415/.530 slash line and .945 OPS won't help him get comfortable in the infield, and Breslow believes he needs further development in the pastures before his debut.
Red Sox fans are understandably itching to see Anthony in the major leagues, but he's still a ways away from his call-up. A position chance, especially one to the infield, will not shorten his timeline.