The Boston Red Sox suffered a significant loss when Triston Casas suffered a knee injury. However, they have made it clear how this will affect top prospect Roman Anthony.
Casas was diagnosed with a ruptured left patellar tendon and will have surgery. However, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow noted that the injury will not lead to Anthony changing positions.
Anthony is the team’s top prospect and the No.1 overall prospect in all of baseball, and is nearing his MLB debut. With a hole at first base and a logjam in the outfield, the idea of Anthony playing first base is intriguing. However, the team does not feel that Anthony or Marcelo Mayer should move to first base.
Breslow’s assessment of the situation is consistent with his thoughts before the injury. Before he went down, Casas was slashing .182/.277/.303. The struggles prompted the question of finding a spot for Anthony at first base.
“I think just given (Anthony’s) age, there’s still an opportunity for him to develop in the outfield,” Breslow told the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. “Until you feel like that’s in a place where there isn’t just a massive opportunity cost to taking reps away, that’s where he should be focused,” said Breslow. “And also, I think obviously, at some point he’s going to be impacting our major league team, and to throw another variable into the mix probably doesn’t make a ton of sense when that transition in and of itself can be difficult at times.”
Follow The Sporting News On WhatsApp
The Red Sox outfield is already complicated. Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela have been the primary trio in the outfield. However, Masataka Yoshida will be returning soon, and his DH spot now belongs to Rafael Devers. He will also be fighting for an outfield spot. Rob Refsnyder also figures to spend some time there. When Anthony is called up, it will be difficult to find at-bats.
Despite the excess of outfielders, the Red Sox do not seem interested in a quick fix to their potential outfield logjam. They are prioritizing Anthony’s development as an outfielder and do not want to derail his great start with a position change. In Triple-A, he is hitting .292 with a .938 OPS.
More MLB: Red Sox could cut ties with Gold Glover in blockbuster trade
