Whispers of doubt are swirling around the Red Sox camp: Are the Bostoners going to extend the 20-year-old ace’s contract? Roman Anthony is arguably one of the best prospects in baseball. While there’s a good chance of Anthony getting into the team entirely based on his merit, one thing that’s going against him is the surplus outfield options available. However, Anthony has his say on the contract extension and may likely be included in the opening-day roster. Think that’s possible?

Well, what makes Roman Anthony special is his good hitting ability—he hit 15 home runs in 2024, with.856 OPS across the 84 games he played with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs and posted a.344/.463/.519 slash line with the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox. While his records speak for themselves, Anthony has already been positioned right behind a major name—Roki Sasaki—in the MLB ranking. Makes sense?

Despite having an impressive record with Triple-A last season, Roman Anthony was expected to be on the opening-day roster at Worcester due to a lack of experience at a higher level. In a twist of fate, Anthony is now up for the Boston Red Sox’s opening day roster due to the exclusion of Wilyer Abreu because of a GI virus. However, amid the recent criticism of him as a fielder, Anthony said, “I love this org. I was drafted by this org. I don’t ever want to leave this org … I haven’t thought about an extension much… I want to be a Red Sox for as long as I can, but it would have to be something for me that was just an absolute no-brainer.”

Roman Anthony, however, said that he hasn’t been looking much about the contract extension; rather, his entire focus is currently on being a Red Sox as long as he plays. With a lot of uncertainty surrounding Abreu’s return to the mound, Anthony’s addition to the Red Sox could give a major boost and make him ready for the major league competition. And there’s plenty of chances for the left-handed slugger to make a significant impact in the changing baseball landscape too, isn’t there?

$25 million ace may not be the one the Red Sox looking for

While the $25 million Boston Red Sox ace surely grabs a lot of attention with his batting prowess, his defensive skills lacked the depth that the club may be looking for. Anthony has managed to post .333/.500/.917 slash line across the five games she played, with a double in four hits, scoring three runs and four RBIs. While these numbers aren’t that bad, his defensive skills are questioned, and this may lead to losing his place in the opening-day roster. But that’s not all!

Anthony hasn’t been a great fielder, and he has been an average runner too. But his batting prowess makes him a great bet for the Red Sox, but that puts him under scrutiny and personal determination for his poor defensive skills. While he is still quite young and the Red Sox have a whole lot of outfield options with Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu as the starting three, Anthony doesn’t seem to have a clear path ahead as of now.

Do you think Anthony’s contract will be extended and that he will make the Red Sox’s opening-day roster? Let us know in the comments below.