Red Sox calling up top prospect in baseball Roman Anthony - ESPN

The Boston Red Sox are calling up outfielder Roman Anthony, the No. 1 prospect in baseball, hopeful he can provide a jolt to a team that has disappointed over the season's first 67 games, manager Alex Cora confirmed on Monday.

Anthony will start and bat fifth in Monday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Cora said.

Anthony, 21, will arrive in the big leagues with polish rare for a player his age. A second-round draft pick in 2022, he blitzed through the minor leagues, reaching Double-A in his first full season in 2023, dominating between Double-A and Triple-A in 2024 and crushing Triple-A pitching with his sweet left-handed swing this season.

Calls for his promotion were resounding among Red Sox fans, whose frustration with a 32-35 start left them looking to Anthony as a potential solution to their ills.

Boston was loath to summon Anthony, with chief baseball officer Craig Breslow suggesting he needed more experience in left field and fewer balls hit on the ground. His arrival comes on the heels of a 497-foot grand slam — the longest ball hit at any level of organized baseball this season — for Triple-A Worcester over the weekend.

Anthony hit .288/.423/.491 at Triple-A with 10 home runs and 29 RBIs in 265 plate appearances. Known as much for his discerning eye as his immense power, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Anthony walked 51 times and struck out 56 for Worcester.

Where he will play with the Red Sox is a question that has vexed team officials — and contributed to him not already having joined infielders Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer, with whom Anthony comprised the so-called Big 3, in the major leagues. Boston has All-Star Jarren Duran in left field, Gold Glove candidate Ceddanne Rafaela in center field and Wilyer