Why Red Sox Must Call Up Top Prospects Roman Anthony And Kristian Campbell

Next year is now for these Red Sox...

Roman Anthony high fives WooSox teammates following the Triple-A club's 12-2 win over Toledo on Tuesday at Polar Park. / WooSox Photo/Ashley Green / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Boston Red Sox need to shake things up.

September has been dreadful for the Red Sox thus far, much like the final weeks of August that preceded it. Failing to sweep the 33-111 Chicago White Sox was par for the course for the Sox as of late.

There have been many losses that felt like the "last straw," and Sunday's was the signal the Red Sox needed. It's time to turn the page, even if the white flag isn't quite flying yet.

The best part of many Red Sox fans' days lately hasn't been waiting for the action at Fenway Park. It's been seeing the clips of top prospects Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell torching Triple-A pitching, roping 430-foot home runs or 113 mile-per-hour doubles.

Now, it's time to give the kids a taste of what they should expect much more of next season. Anthony and Campbell should be in a courtesy car from Worcester to Boston on Monday, and both should be in the lineup at Fenway Park against the Baltimore Orioles.

Insider Jen McCaffrey pointed out that calling up top pitching prospect Richard Fitts to start Sunday was the beginning of the shift in focus, and the 7-2 loss to the lowly White Sox should only accelerate it.

"By the time the game was over — despite a strong start from Fitts — it was clear the Red Sox should be focusing more on next year," McCaffrey said.

At 72-71, the Red Sox remain four games out of a playoff spot with 19 to play. Their postseason odds are down to 6.2%, according to ESPN. The Sox don't need to stop trying to make it to October, but they do need to start putting their future lineup mainstays in the best possible position to succeed.

And who says calling up the kids means the Red Sox can't still win some games down the stretch? Since being called up to Triple-A, Anthony's OPS is .961, while Campbell's is .886. They're hitting better than most of the big-leaguers right now, plus none of the pitchers Boston will face have seen them yet.

If Anthony and Campbell struggle, no one will blame them for Boston missing the playoffs.

But if they catch lightning in a bottle, who knows where the chips might fall?

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