As the 2025 MLB season continues, the Boston Red Sox didn’t waste any time starting the new week with a bang.

The Red Sox announced on Monday morning that they’ve traded right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for outfield prospect Yophery Rodriguez, a Competitive Balance Round A selection in the 2025 MLB Draft, and a future player or cash considerations.

As much as Boston fans loved Priester, the haul that the Brewers offered was too much for the Red Sox to turn down — especially with Rodriguez being Milwaukee’s No. 7 prospect. Having said that, the Red Sox will now look to replace Priester’s spot in the organization as his departure means there’s an opening on the 40-man roster.

Fortunately, the club has the perfect name in its system to fill the void.

Red Sox Must Add Roman Anthony to 40-Man Roster After Quinn Priester Trade

If Red Sox manager Alex Cora and his staff are smart, they’ll use the freed-up 40-man roster spot on top prospect Roman Anthony. Not only is the up-and-coming outfielder the top rookie in the franchise’s system but he was also named MLB.com’s No. 2 prospect overall to begin the 2025 campaign.

Anthony, 20, has been in the Red Sox’s pipeline since he was a second-round pick in 2022. It didn’t take long for Boston fans to clamor for a call-up, and the anticipation only increased with last year’s performance. He split the 2024 campaign between Triple-A and Double-A, cranking out 18 home, 65 RBIs, 79 walks, and 21 stolen bases while slashing .291/.396/.498 across 119 games (454 at-bats).

Red Sox fans hoped that performance would lead to Anthony being on the big-league roster in 2025, but that hasn’t been the case so far. The West Palm Beach, FL native experienced an underwhelming spring training, batting only .206 as he recorded one home run, 10 RBIs, 10 walks, and 12 strikeouts.

With that in mind, his slow spring can be attributed to a pesky illness that caused him to lose 10-plus pounds.

Anthony has since recorded two HRs, four RBIs, and eight walks in his first seven outings with Triple-A Worcester. Even though his .167 batting average has left much to be desired, his .875 OPS shows he’s still making an impact that warrants a spot on the 40-man roster.

The Red Sox already showed that they aren’t afraid to reward their young prospects, proven by second baseman Kristian Campbell’s recent $60 million extension. It’s the type of move that shows the fanbase that Boston is serious about competing in the present and future after going three consecutive years without a postseason berth.

Time will tell if Anthony will be a part of a potential playoff return this fall. For now, the Red Sox will continue being tied for the eighth-best 2025 World Series odds (+2200) on FanDuel Sportsbook as April rolls on.

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