Story by
Why Roman Anthony is not Red Sox's best player under 25
- Story by
- Why Roman Anthony is not Red Sox's best player under 25
Why Roman Anthony is not Red Sox's best player under 25 originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
It was a very frustrating season for Roman Anthony.
Advertisement
The Boston Red Sox slugger played just 55 games due to a hand/wrist injury.
He was taken off the Wild Card Series roster after aggravating the injury during an at-bat in Game 1.
In 242 plate appearances, the 22-year-old hit .245/.339/.396 with five home runs and a 108 OPS+.
The Red Sox still believe Anthony could be the face of the franchise, but Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter wrote that he is not the best player on Boston's roster under the age of 25.
"Most would have expected Roman Anthony to be the guy here going into the season, but injuries limited him to 55 games," Reuter wrote.
Advertisement
"Meanwhile, Tolle emerged as a frontline-caliber starter in his first full season in the majors. Over his final 10 starts, he had a 2.59 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 75 strikeouts in 59 innings."
Tolle had a solid start in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium, allowing one earned run on five hits. He struck out four and walked one batter.
MORE: How Mets could have advantage over Dodgers in free-agent pursuit of Tarik Skubal
It can be argued that manager Chad Tracy took Tolle out of the game too soon. With Anthony, the Red Sox had no choice.
The left-handed hitter will not undergo surgery to fix his hand issue. Rather, patience and rest may help Anthony be at 100% heading into spring training.
Advertisement
Anthony is an impressive player. But the best asset is availability, and Tolle made 26 starts in 2026.
