The Boston Red Sox are in Kansas City, looking to wrap up a three-game sweep of the Royals on Wednesday. There, they’ve been without former top prospect Roman Anthony as he continues to try to recover from a wrist injury.
Even with that, Royals All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. made sure to praise Anthony. In particular, he would note that he sees “a lot of” himself in the Red Sox outfielder.
“A lot of just the personality … and how he is, how he carries himself, and just how he’s a true big leaguer,” Witt said, per MassLive. “We’re not really that loud or over-talkative, whatever. We like to enjoy the game, have fun, and we’re competitive. We want to win, and we want to work.”
It doesn’t take an enigmatologist to see the connection. In 2022, when Witt broke into the majors, he was 22 years old and the top prospect in baseball. When Roman Anthony broke in last season, he was 21 years old and the top prospect in baseball. Today, with the Red Sox in Kansas City, he’s recently turned 22.
In his first season, Witt played in 150 games, needing some time to transition before he became an All-Star. That year, he hit .254 with a .722 OPS. As for Anthony, in 101 career games, he’s hitting .273 with an .804 OPS. That’s over two seasons where he has also run into some injury issues.
Roman Anthony is Still Adjusting to MLB for the Boston Red Sox
GettyBoston Red Sox Outfielder Roman Anthony
What’s particularly interesting about the Roman Anthony and Bobby Witt comparison is that in that in the very early stages of their career, Anthony has outperformed Witt. That goes back to the adjustment to MLB, which is difficult for everyone.
At the same time, given the excitement for Anthony, Boston Red Sox fans have had massive expectations for him. That can lead to pressing, which Bobby Witt thinks is a mistake for any young player.
“I think it’s just going out there and trusting yourself,” Witt said. “It’s the same game as you’ve been playing. It’s not too drastically different from the minor leagues, but it’s just trusting your ability, knowing that you’re a big leaguer, knowing that you’re capable of doing special things. And once your mindset’s that, then I think it kind of goes from there.”
Roman Anthony is far from the only young Red Sox player trying to adjust to the majors. Marcelo Mayer, Carlos Narvaez, and Caleb Durbin are all regular starters with three or fewer years in MLB. That’s before adding in Payton Tolle and Connelly Early from the pitching staff.
“Every day you’re facing a stud out there, and so it’s just knowing how you can combat that with how you think they’re gonna pitch you, how you’re gonna attack them,” Witt said. “And then just doing it every day, trying to be as consistent as possible, keeping yourself in a good spot and going out there and just enjoying the moment and just attacking.”
Despite his youth, a strength of Anthony’s has been his approach at the plate. He’s drawn 20 walks in 30 games this season, which Witt has taken note of.
“I think it’s just the at-bats he takes,” Witt said. “They’re professional at-bats, they’re big league at-bats. Anytime he’s up there you know he’s going to put together a good at-bat. And even just a guy that just didn’t know he was going to be on Team USA and then was just kind of thrown in there, thrown right into the starting role. And then the at-bats he took, kind of how he was, it was just great.”
The Red Sox Need Roman Anthony to Get Healthy
GettyBoston Red Sox OF Roman Anthony speaks to a trainer
The Boston Red Sox lost Roman Anthony on May 4th after he injured his wrist on a swing. There had been some hope he’d be back in the lineup soon for the Red Sox, but Anthony suffered a recent setback.
While taking rehab swings, Anthony felt some soreness. So, the Red Sox quickly shut down the session. Interim manager Chad Tracy later explained the decision.
“He swung a little bit and felt some soreness,” Tracy said. “For the time being, we’re going to back off until we get through the off day. Obviously, you don’t want him swinging through soreness and discomfort. It’s not great news today, but we’ll back off and see how he responds after the off day with a few more days of rest.”
When Anthony has been on the field, he’s been phenomenal for the Red Sox. However, there have also now been a few injuries that have stacked up in his young career while he’s swinging. So, finding a way to stay on the field is going to be important for the young star.
Red Sox Rising Star Garners High Praise From Royals Superstar Bobby Witt Jr.