The Boston Red Sox have a major problem, as Roman Anthony continues to dominate at Triple-A Worcester.
A monster week that included a leadoff home run and a grand slam pushed his season batting average above.300 and his OPS over 1.000.
His loud contact and high production at the plate are clearly above the level of his competition, and the sport’s top minor-league prospect demonstrated why he is ready for the majors.
When Boston signs Anthony, the team will have a lot to think about when it comes to roster construction. On Friday’s edition of “MLB Central,” MLB Network’s Robert Flores, Mark DeRosa, and Dan O’Dowd discussed how to break Anthony into the Red Sox’s crowded position group.
“He just keeps hitting homers at the Triple-A level,” according to Flores. “What are they going to do with him?”
“We watched this in Baltimore, we’ve watched this in other places,” says DeRosa. “They stockpile all these guys and now it’s like, ‘Where are we gonna play them?'”
O’Dowd supported a popular option of putting Ceddanne Rafaela in a super-utility role and handing over center field to Anthony when he eventually joins the Red Sox.
That is versatility, and Alex Cora has certainly embraced it in recent seasons. If that is what it takes for Boston to include Anthony in their lineup, the juice should be worth the squeeze.
“He’s forcing hands,” DeRosa explained. “… I could close my eyes; everyone was hit, and he was making the most noise. He’s coming. “You must acknowledge him.”
