On paper, there isn’t much left to prove for Red Sox top prospects Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, who are dominating at Triple-A. But the reality is that a combination of continued development and opportunity at the major league level will dictate when Boston chooses to promote them.

On Tuesday’s Fenway Rundown podcast, Boston’s senior director of player development Brian Abraham weighed in on the looming decisions for the organization.

“I don’t think there’s ever a timeline or an exact date, no…,” Abraham said. ”They want to be in the big leagues. I think that is just the reality. For me to go to Worcester and not expect Marcelo to want to get called up to the big leagues, I think is unfair of me and unfair of our front office. To think like they’re not looking at the big league roster and seeing guys perform really well or poorly and say, ‘Hey, I could be doing that as well.’

“I think we want that competitive competitiveness. We want guys to be up there. Who doesn’t want to be in the big leagues? But I think it’s balancing that with continuing to do the work that they’re doing in Worcester and continuing to get better so they are prepared when that time is right. I don’t know when it’s gonna be. They don’t know when it’s gonna be. There’s a lot of different things that can happen that could lead to that.”

Anthony, who is back in Worcester’s lineup Tuesday after X-rays showed no significant damage to his foot after he fouled a ball off himself Friday, is likely closer to the majors than Mayer purely based on Triple-A experience. He played 35 games for the WooSox late last year while Mayer’s season ended early due to a back issue and after posting a .983 OPS in that span, has once again been red-hot offensively in 2025, hitting .313 with five doubles, five homers, 14 RBIs, 21 walks and a 1.039 OPS.

Mayer, in his first taste of Triple-A action, has also performed well and was named International League Player of the Week on Monday. He’s hitting .280 with seven homers, four doubles, 34 RBIs and a .872 OPS.

The numbers suggest the two prospects are ready, but the Red Sox have identified things beyond the stat lines as remaining development steps.

“Organizationally, we have some different things that we look at in terms of how our players progress throughout our minor league system that ultimately reach the big league level — skills and numbers that will scale to success at the highest level,” Abraham said. “For Roman and Marcelo, when you talk about guys that are so close to reaching that top level, it’s gonna be a lot more refined, a lot more intimate in detail into the areas that they can improve upon.“

“For Roman, you’ve seen a guy who has hit the ball hard all over the ballpark, who has played solid defense. I think we’d love to see him pull the ball in the air more for a little bit more damage. He certainly has the ability to drive the ball to all fields. We’ve seen him do that this year, but when he’s the most impactful, he is able to get the ball out front and really drive the baseball consistently. He, and even Marcelo at times, hit the ball so hard, that when they hit it into the ground, it’s really not doing any benefit to anyone. Both of those guys, when they’re really attacking the baseball, elevating the baseball for extra bases, for impact, those are the things we’re looking for on the offensive side. And both seeing left-handed pitchers more is a really important thing at the level they’re playing at.

“For Marcelo, continue to focus on his ability to have solid swing decisions. He’s done an amazing job of that this year, impacted the baseball in the strike zone, laying off pitches on the edges and off the plate.”

Unlike with Kristian Campbell, who made the Opening Day roster because Boston had an opening at second base, the Red Sox can afford to be patient with Anthony and Mayer. With everyone healthy, there isn’t a clear big league spot for either player at present. In the outfield, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu have proven to be high-upside players and Ceddanne Rafaela provides elite defense and has shown signs at the plate in recent weeks. Trevor Story is in the midst of a bounceback year at shortstop, blocking Mayer.

Could Anthony come up if an outfielder gets injured or Mayer be called upon if something happens to Story? Of course. But for now, the Red Sox are satisfied.

“It’s balancing what they’re currently doing, honestly, with the need at the major league level, whether that be a roster spot, whether that be the positions that are available,” Abraham said. “The goal for us to really have them stay where their feet are. I know that’s a cliche term that is used probably by multiple farm directors on a daily basis, but the reality is they need to focus on their work, on their routine, continue to get better, continue to work in their training on the defensive side, the offensive side and the baserunning side, so that when their name is called, they’re gonna be as prepared as they can be.

“You need to have depth,” he added. “You need to have players that are reliable and could, if their name is called, go up and perform at the highest level, similar to someone who was maybe there previously. In my role and the development side’s role, we can only prepare our players to be the best versions of themselves while they’re with us. When that opportunity arises, we hope that they’re prepared for any situation.”

Service time, like it is for all 30 clubs under baseball’s current rules, is obviously a factor as well. The Red Sox can gain an extra year of control (and delay free agency) over each player by making sure they don’t debut until a certain date. But on the podcast, Abraham vowed that the organization would do everything it can to “put the player first.”

“I think, despite them each being really good players — and I think you could say the same thing about a lot of our big league players — there’s still a lot of improvements to be made,“ Abraham said. ”Not all these guys are Hall of Famers, not all these guys are All-Stars. Whether it be improving their range, whether it be improving their bat speed, their ability to impact the baseball swing decisions, there’s so many different things that these guys can work on and improve upon so that they are better and are able to have that success when they get up there.

“Listen, they’re people, they wanna be in the big leagues and I get it. They wanna have long careers in Boston. We want them to do that as well. So I think it’s just being realistic and understanding that they’re human beings are gonna want that and trying to be as reasonable as we can. I feel like I tend to be the bad guy, the one who seems like I might be holding them back or not wanting them to be in the big leagues. I certainly do. We all certainly do. But again, it’s balancing the roster, it’s balancing needs, it’s balancing when they’re ultimately ready so the transition can happen seamlessly.”

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