Red Sox Star Prospect Predicted To Spend 'More Than Half Of The Year' In Majors

Boston's trio of phenoms are knocking on the door

Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

The Boston Red Sox have the most exciting trio of prospects in Major League Baseball.

Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer are all mere days away from big league readiness if they’re not there already.

Not long ago heralded as the cream of Boston’s crop, Mayer has become the lowest-rated of the above threesome, leading some to claim that he’s now ironically underrated.

But which stud of these three will debut first for the Red Sox on the MLB stage? The comparative talent of Anthony, Campbell, and Mayer won’t dictate who gets the first call-up as much as Boston’s positional needs will.

For example, Anthony is the organization’s consensus top prospect, but some have envisioned Campbell starting at second base on Opening Day while Anthony waits his turn in Triple-A.

Anthony’s roadblock to the Majors at present is Boston’s crowded outfield, which currently features 2024 All-Star Jarren Duran, 2024 Gold Glover Wilyer Abreu, and defensive magician Ceddanne Rafaela, who is looking much-improved at the plate.

That being said, everything from injuries to unexpected trades can and will happen for the Red Sox in 2025, leading one analyst — The Athletic’s Keith Law — to believe that Anthony will not only get his opportunity soon but that he’ll spend the majority of the upcoming season on the big league squad.

“Anthony is the No. 1 prospect in baseball, but he has barely over a month of experience in Triple A, is just 21 and doesn’t have an obvious place to play in Fenway yet, as the Red Sox have more outfielders than spots — for now,” Law wrote on Monday.

“Anthony is best suited to a corner; he can play center, but he’s definitely not as good out there as Rafaela, and I don’t think he’d supplant Jarren Duran, either. That said, I think he’ll spend more than half of the year in the majors, whether it’s due to injury or a trade, and I think he’ll make a lot of hard contact once he’s up, even if there’s some swing and miss as he adjusts to big-league pitching.”

While Duran will be in the lineup every single day, Rafaela and Abreu aren’t locks until they prove that their rookie-year successes weren’t flukes. Anthony’s opportunity is coming soon, one way or another.

More MLB: Red Sox Star Prospect Called 'Best Option At Second Base' By Top Analyst