Red Sox No. 1 Prospect Roman Anthony Clears Roadblock To Major League Debut

Roman Anthony mania has swept across Boston Red Sox Nation all season, and the 20-year-old phenom got some good news on Tuesday.

Anthony, the consensus number-one prospect among players currently in the minor leagues, has had a memorable hot streak in his short time in Triple-A so far this season. But of late, he had been limited to designated hitter duties while dealing with some lingering pain in his shoulder.

Fortunately, it appears Anthony will soon be back at full strength. He last appeared in a game on defense on Apr. 10, but according to Katie Morrison-O'Day of MassLive, the young star says he will be ready to play the outfield on Wednesday.

Morrison-O'Day also reported that Worcester Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said Tuesday, "We are not putting Roman at first base," in response to some fairly preposterous suggestions from fans and pundits that the youngster could replace struggling Boston first baseman Triston Casas.

Clearly, the shoulder wasn't bothering Anthony all that much at the plate. He went 12-for-32 (.375) with two home runs, three doubles, and eight RBI in the time frame after he stopped playing the outfield.

However, getting back to the outfield is important, because the Red Sox had a built-in excuse to keep him in Triple-A as long as he wasn't able to contribute on defense. They have Rafael Devers as their full-time DH now, so Anthony wouldn't be a candidate to get a single big-league game there anytime soon.

What are the Red Sox waiting for to promote Anthony? Well, if he finishes first or second in Rookie of the Year voting, he'd be granted a full year or service time, which would cost Boston team control over his age-27 season.

Even if the Red sox won't say publicly that the above fact matters to them, it would be foolish for them not to take it into consideration. And there's almost always an excuse to get a young player more seasoning, especially one as young as Anthony still is.

Make no mistake, though. Anthony will have a major impact on the Red Sox's season, possibly as soon as late May or early June. Hopefully, he won't miss a beat in his return to the outfield.