4 Red Sox Prospects Primed for Promotions This Year

As the MLB trade deadline has come and gone, the Boston Red Sox will welcome some new faces to the organization. Even with the deadline in the rearview mirror, Red Sox fans might still see new faces on the big league roster via prospects promotions in August and September.

On Sept. 1, MLB rosters expand from 26 to 28, opening the door for prospects to earn a big league call-up.

"September call-ups" as they have historically been known, used to generate a far greater influx of young talent back when teams could expand their roster to as many as 40 players before the rule was modified in 2020. Notably, teams are required to call up two players from the farm system and have 28 players on their MLB roster for each day in September.

As they sit on the doorstep of a playoff berth at the moment, there is a decreased likelihood that the Red Sox will call up some of their top prospects as the team will be more intent on pushing for a playoff spot with their roster with proven MLB talent.

But if Boston continues to struggle in the second half and falls out of contention for a playoff spot, there could be a strong youth movement at Fenway Park in September as the focus shifts to 2025.

Discussions of the Red Sox's farm system have been dominated by the "Big Three" of 21-year-old shortstop Marcelo Mayer, 20-year-old outfielder Roman Anthony, and 22-year-old catcher Kyle Teel.

The trio have quite a bit in common: all three are former first-round picks, all three are left-handed hitters, all three have spent the entirety of 2024 with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, and all three rank among the top 25 prospects in baseball.

The "Big Three" present an enormous amount of promise, but they have varying degrees of MLB readiness, and there might be better candidates for 2024 promotion. Here are four Red Sox prospects primed for promotion this year.

4. Roman Anthony

Anthony is a long shot to make his MLB debut this year, but the No. 21 prospect in baseball will excite a lot of Red Sox fans with his lefty swing that has been called "one of the best swings in the minors". The 20-year-old is ranked as Boston's second-best prospect.

Selected 79th overall in the 2022 MLB Draft, the young outfielder has quickly ascended through Boston's minor league ranks. At only 19, he was named as Boston's minor league hitter of the year in 2023. Anthony has played the entirety of the 2024 season with Double-A Portland. In 74 games, he is hitting .247/.350/.452 with 11 home runs and 34 RBI.

His stats don't jump off the page at you, but Anthony's raw talent is undeniable. The Florida native showcased his raw talent earlier in July by winning the inaugural Futures Skills Showcase as part of MLB All-Star Week. His victory was fueled by his power display in the third round in which he hit six home runs.

Bringing him up to the bigs would feel rushed in 2024, but with the excitement around Anthony and his potential to contribute to Boston's lineup down the road, he would be tough to exclude.