Article: When Should We Expect Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer in Boston?

[Alex Mayes]

We already know that Kristian Campbell is going to break camp with the big league club, but when should we expect the other members of the Big Three to make their Red Sox debut?

With Kristian Campbell making the Opening Day roster, the first member of the Big Three is arriving in Boston. Campbell came into camp with a shot at second base, and even after a slow start has won the starting job over David Hamilton and Vaughn Grissom. We'll have more about Campbell over the coming days, but there’s a discussion to be had about the remaining members of the Big Three. Both Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer excelled during spring training and are making the trip to Mexico with the bulk of the big league club. There’s obviously belief within the organization that both Anthony and Mayer are close to ready for their own big league debuts. We can only speculate as to when those call-ups will happen, but I'll lay out a few scenarios in which we could see Anthony and Mayer called up to Boston sooner rather than later.

Scenario 1: Roman Anthony Forces Their Hand
I think this is by far the most likely scenario involving an early call-up for Anthony. He ran a 103 wRC+ during spring training, and that's not the lights-out success some were expecting from him. However, he dealt with the mysterious stomach bug that plagued the camp for the bulk of spring training and is still working his way back to form. Once the season begins and he is starting in center in Worcester, we’ll see the old Anthony come screaming back into the spotlight. When, not if, he rakes at Triple-A, the Red Sox will have a huge decision to make, specifically involving Anthony and Wilyer Abreu. Yes, Wilyer is a Gold Glove-winning right fielder, but he’s a platoon outfielder. Last year in the minor leagues, Anthony slashed .347/.480/.520 against right-handed pitching and .333/.410/.515 against left-handed pitching. He can hit everybody. Once he gets into major league games, he will do the same in Boston.

Scenario 2: Trevor Story Gets Injured
I’ll start this one by saying I hope Trevor Story stays healthy and I want him to succeed. However, if recent history is any indication, then we need to be planning for him to spend some amount of time on the injured list. Hamilton and Grissom that can handle shortstop in Story's absence, but neither of those options is particularly appealing. Enter Mayer, who has looked like a big-league shortstop during spring training. He’s proven that his high draft spot was deserved, but as we found out on Sunday, he will begin the season in Worcester. This makes a lot of sense, as outside of spring training, he has seen exactly zero pitches above Double-A. It’s likely that if he started the season in Boston, he would adapt and play well, but there’s no reason to rush him to the big league club until an injury makes it a necessity. Let him hone his offensive abilities under less pressure and bring him up when the team needs him.

Scenario 3: Alex Bregman Goes Down
Once again, I hope this doesn't happen, but with Rafael Devers seeing no time at third during spring training and beginning the season as the full-time DH, it's hard not to assume his days at third base are over. Sure, he could easily fill in if Alex Bregman were to get injured, but I think it’s far more likely that the team would keep Devers at DH and call Mayer up to fill that void. Mayer saw a bit of time at third during spring training and has been working out there to add some positional versatility to his game. If Devers is raking at DH and feels more confident becoming the next David Ortiz or J.D. Martinez by being a pure offensive weapon, then calling Mayer up to play third would make sense.

Scenario 4: Wilyer Abreu Falls Flat
Abreu spent the bulk of spring training recovering from a gastrointestinal virus and lost quite a bit of weight and muscle. While he has looked fine in limited action, we saw how much Grissom struggled in the same situation last year. Once the season begins, putting on that kind of weight and maintaining it will be incredibly difficult. It stands to reason that Abreu will be focusing on his baseball skills while trying to add that weight back. The weight loss likely will impact his power at the plate, which could cause the Red Sox to pivot to Anthony quicker than they anticipated. Should Abreu prove to be a liability, the front office will likely look to the top prospect in baseball to take his spot while he tries to figure things out.

There are far more scenarios that could see either Anthony or Mayer getting the call, but these four are the four most likely in my opinion. While some of them come with injury woes, seeing the entire Big Three in Boston during the 2025 season is a real possibility. The Red Sox have drafted and developed well over the last few seasons, and the fan base finally has a young core to be excited about. It starts with Campbell making the Opening Day roster, but don’t be shocked to see his highly-touted teammates join him in Boston sooner rather than later.

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