Craig Breslow Hints At Red Sox's Promotion Timeline For No. 1 Prospect Roman Anthony

The suspense continues to build...

WooSox outfielder Roman Anthony runs off the field following his team's 2-1 win over Lehigh Valley on Aug. 14 at Polar Park. / WooSox Photo/Ashley Green / USA TODAY NETWORK

With one member of the "big three" already thriving in the big leagues, it's only a matter of time before the Boston Red Sox promote another top prospect.

Kristian Campbell has taken over the Red Sox's starting second base job and looks like an advanced major-league hitter at age 22. Next, the attention shifts to 20-year-old outfielder Roman Anthony, the consensus number-one position player prospect in all of baseball.

Red Sox fans have been clamoring for Anthony for weeks already, and the fact that the team has scored just four runs during the current three-game losing streak has only increased their desire. But each prospect is on their own timeline, and Boston wants to be certain Anthony will be ready for an everyday role.

Anthony has demonstrated in Triple-A that if he's not fully ready for the big leagues, he's something very close to it. But the Red Sox also have a crowded outfield picture, so unlike many prospect promotion situations, they'd be forcing the issue a bit by bringing Anthony into the fold.

On Wednesday, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was asked about the timeline for the Red Sox calling up Anthony, and gave a preview of the logic the team was using to make that decision.

“There are certain players, and we’re hopeful and optimistic that we have a handful of those, who create their own timeline,” Breslow said, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “But then, the bulk of guys who get to the big leagues do so because an opportunity arises on the big league club. I think that this will likely be some balance of both these things.”

If Anthony were called up by the end of the week, he would be eligible for the prospect promotion incentive, which would grant the Red Sox a draft pick if he wins any major awards. But that doesn't seem to be factoring into the team's logic.

“We have to do what’s best for each individual player and if we do that, we’re going to do what’s best for the team,” Breslow said, per Cotillo. “All of those incentives are well and good if they fall into place. If that’s the driver of the decision, you’ve got the wrong priorities.”

While it doesn't sound like Anthony will join the Red Sox in Chicago this weekend, it's definitely fair to treat this highly-anticipated promotion on a series-by-series basis from here on out.

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