The Red Sox moved to 16-14 after a successful weekend in Cleveland, when they took two of three against the Guardians. The first month of the Red Sox’s season has been largely defined by small spurts of effectiveness but plenty of room for improvement. With the team not yet hitting its stride for an extended period, the drumbeat to promote top prospect Roman Anthony from Triple-A Worcester has only grown louder. As the Red Sox head to Toronto for a series that begins on Tuesday, the question remains: When will it be time to promote Anthony? Anthony, 20, has produced eye-popping numbers early in the Triple-A season, particularly given that he is the youngest hitter in the league and won’t turn 21 for another two weeks. Through 23 games, he’s hitting .313 with a 1.039 OPS, five homers, five doubles and a triple. He’s hit 32 balls with an exit velocity of 100 mph or greater, second-most across all minor-league levels, and has barreled 19 balls this season, also tops in the minors, and more than Aaron Judge has currently with the Yankees. Over the weekend, Anthony had an injury scare when he fouled a ball off his foot. The Red Sox do not anticipate him going on the injured list, however. He hasn’t played since the incident on Friday, but is expected back in the lineup this week. It was alarming news at the time, but the Red Sox were relieved to have avoided a worst-case scenario for Anthony with X-rays negative for a break.

Anthony had recently returned to the outfield after serving as designated hitter for about 10 days as he dealt with minor shoulder inflammation, an injury which was exacerbated by throwing but not swinging. The shoulder inflammation has since subsided and in his first game back in left field last week, he promptly made a diving catch. Promoting Anthony soon could give the Red Sox a boost once he’s 100 percent healthy again — not just numbers-wise, but by sparking the clubhouse with the addition of a well-liked teammate from spring training. At the end of the camp, Jarren Duran noted how much he’d miss having the energy of prospects like Anthony and shortstop Marcelo Mayer (who’s also having a terrific start to the year) around in the regular season. There’s something to be said for the camaraderie the team built in camp. “I’m going to be sad when I don’t see them — just seeing them every single day has been so fun,” Duran said in late March. “When they go on road (games) and we don’t see them for like a day or so and they come back, it’s like a light’s shining in the clubhouse again. They’re really good guys.” And while chemistry matters, ensuring Anthony is as ready as possible on the field is the priority for the Red Sox, particularly with such an intense spotlight on the top prospects to perform. So for a couple of reasons, the Red Sox are playing it cautious with Anthony, even with the latest foot injury, undoubtedly to the frustration of most of their fan base. Among the chief reasons Anthony is not yet with the club is that there’s not much room in the outfield at the moment.

Duran had been off to a slower start this season compared to his electric 2024 campaign, but appears to be heating up after going 7-for-11 in his past two games this weekend, a weekend that included stealing home. And even if Duran weren’t producing, he isn’t moving anywhere anytime soon. Likewise, Wilyer Abreu powered the offense over the first couple of weeks and though he has cooled off a bit at the plate since then, he’s too valuable in the field — tied for the league lead with six Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) — and in the lineup to move. Because of that, external speculation about Ceddanne Rafaela’s spot on the team has ramped up. Rafaela’s exceptional defense in the outfield speaks for itself. He’s currently second in the majors among center fielders with five DRS, trailing only the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong (six DRS). At the plate, Rafaela has quietly started to turn his season around, posting a 2-for-4 day on Sunday with five RBIs. Over the past week, he’s hitting .273 with a .775 OPS. On the season, the 24-year-old is hitting .233 with a .644 OPS. During the last homestand, manager Alex Cora reiterated Rafaela’s importance to the team. “He’s been doing a lot of good things for us,” Cora said. “It doesn’t have to be always on offense. Defensively, he’s (among the top) as far as defensive run saves. He stops the running game. I think we’ve done an outstanding job with that in the outfield, shutting (down) the running game. “We live in the now,” Cora said. “I know that there’s good players in the minor leagues that will contribute at one point this season.” Fourth outfielder Rob Refsnyder has provided a valuable bat off the bench, and his role isn’t in danger of being taken by Anthony, regardless. The Red Sox have said they won’t promote Anthony if he’s not going to start regularly, much like Kristian Campbell has been since his promotion. And tamping down sports talk radio speculation about Triston Casas’ slow start at first base, Worcester manager Chad Tracy told reporters last week the organization will not be working out Anthony at first base. But aside from the positional roadblock, there’s another reason the Red Sox are playing it cool with Anthony. Along with the rest of baseball, the Red Sox watched Baltimore promote baseball’s top prospect Jackson Holliday last season, a 20-year-old who tore through the minors the previous year, only to see him struggle mightily. Holliday went 2-for-34 with 18 strikeouts in his first 10 MLB games and didn’t fare much better later in the season. This year, he’s hitting better with a .233 average and .673 OPS, but still finding his footing. Top prospects are not guaranteed to produce right away like Campbell has shown in the early going. This isn’t to say Anthony would have the same fate, but it’s a cautionary tale for teams, particularly in a market like Boston where the expectation for Anthony to perform right away will be significant. Anthony is close friends with Holliday. The two grew up near each other in Florida while Holliday’s dad, Matt, was playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. Even when Holliday later moved to Oklahoma, Anthony would visit him and work out at the family’s hitting facility. Seeing Holliday struggle last year, despite being one of the most dominant minor leaguers in the game in 2023, provided Anthony with some insight into how difficult the transition from the minors to the majors can be. “He was so good in the minor leagues and never really struggled, and people were like, wait, why is he struggling?” Anthony said of Holliday. “This is a failure game, right? So, (Holliday’s experience is) really just putting things into perspective and not having expectations for myself. “I’ve struggled before,” Anthony said. “Obviously, I don’t know what Boston’s like. I haven’t struggled up there. I know it’s going to be different than struggling in Portland. But it’s something that the Red Sox do a good job here of, kind of giving you a heads-up and (preparing you for that).” Anthony will be in Boston at some point this season. That much seems clear. But the Red Sox are not in a rush and want to ensure he’s in the best position possible to handle the rigors of the game and the pressures of the market. So far, he’s doing everything he can at Triple A to prove he’s capable.