As of this writing, Baseball Reference gives the Boston Red Sox a 23-percent chance of reaching the postseason. Those aren’t great odds, but it’s something, plus there’s also plenty of time to improve that number. But fans are seemingly ready to cut their losses and give up on the 2025 MLB campaign after another harrowing loss to the Detroit Tigers.
Boston’s depressing radio call as Tigers utility man Javier Báez blasted a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning is telling. Everyone affiliated with orfollowing the Red Sox is dejected, and there’s only one way to fix it: Call up the kids.
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Promoting Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer is the only thing that will appease Red Sox fans after latest crushing loss vs. Tigers
Roman Anthony just turned 21 on May 13. He’s not only the No. 1-ranked player in Boston’s farm system, but the promising young outfielder is baseball’s consensus top prospect. Shortstop Marcelo Mayer is second on the Red Sox’s list and No. 8 overall. Both have shown they’re ready to help the Major League club over a large enough sample size and can fill areas of need in the lineup.
If you’re Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow: What’s the hold-up? They desperately need a jolt; patience is running thin in Beantown. Anthony and Mayer could provide that and then some, especially given Boston’s current roster construction.
Mayer may be a seamless solution to Boston’s ongoing infield problem. Let him man short, move veteran slugger Trevor Story to second base and shift rookie Kristian Campbell to first. It may sound risky, but this would allow the Red Sox to regularly trot out their best hitters while appeasing superstar Rafael Devers.
Devers has shown little interest in transitioning from DH to the cold corner, creating unwanted attention and drama. Mayer entering the mix might be enough to eliminate that distraction. Moreover, the Red Sox have gotten minimal production from Story, making the 22-year-old even more valuable to them.
Meanwhile, Anthony presents a viable alternative to All-Star outfielder Jarren Duran, who hasn’t gotten off to the start he or Boston hoped this season. The latter doesn’t figure to be part of the Red Sox’s long-term plans and is struggling; this presents an intriguing pivot point.
And really, at this point, what do you have to lose? There’s no reason for a team with as much talent and as much expectation as the Red Sox to run out a bottom half of the lineup like they did on Tuesday; and if this team isn’t going to be serious about competing, at least they can give their fans some enjoyment over a long summer.
