And, yes, Roman Anthony, too.
There’s plenty to muse about on Sunday’s slate of games, so I’ll keep the prelude = short by just saying: if the Red Sox keep losing late leads and struggle to score runs in the late innings, it will be increasingly difficult to justify both Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer staying in Triple-A. Let’s get into it!
Worcester: L, 3-7 (BOX SCORE)
Don’t look now, but Robert Stock is fifth in Triple-A in strikeouts, despite starting one or two fewer games than everyone ahead of him (he has played in the same amount, though.) Sunday was no different, as he got the WooSox set up well enough with nine strikeouts against the Mud Hens (Tigers AAA), but ultimately he did give up two costly home runs to make the score 2-1 and things got worse after the bullpen was touched up a little bit.
Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer went a combined 5-for-10, by the way, for those who have either or both of them already pencilled into a starting position following an extended Trevor Story slump. There were some curious lineup decisions of note by Chad Tracy, usually a very methodical manager: Nate Eaton started at third base, a position he has not regularly played since 2019. Also, Yasmani Grandal played catcher as fellow catcher Blake Sabol DH’d. This is particularly notable because Connor Wong is able to play first, although he has been the opposite of clutch with runners in scoring position in 2025, and it’s tough to think any strategy that extends to Triple-A involves Wong. Won’t stop me from thinking logistics, though.
Portland, Game 1: W, 6-5 (BOX SCORE)
In this seven game contest against the Fisher Cats (Blue Jays AA), things got a bit scary for Wyatt Olds at the end, but ultimately Chad Epperson kept him in to pitch the seventh following a lead-off home run to cut Portland’s lead to one. This lead would not have been possible had it not been for a Ronald Rosario two-out line drive single to plate Password Garcia and Blaze Jordan, the latter of whom had just hit his second home run of the year in the previous inning. Scary wins are still wins.
Portland, Game 2: W, 5-1 (BOX SCORE)
Finally, this game was played! It had been rained out at least twice, and was originally supposed to begin on April 12. For reference, Boston’s April 12 game was played the next day; it was the Rafael Devers game behind a debuting Hunter Dobbins where Alex Bregman also drove in six runs.
Anyway! In Manchester, NH, Mikey Romero started things off with a lead-off home run, and Ahbram Liendo, who finished April batting .345, had a single, stole a base and scored a run of his own before the inning was over. The Sea Dogs didn’t know it yet, but that would have been enough behind the very dependable arms of Gabe Jackson, back in Portland after his brief sojourn in Triple-A, Alex Hoppe, and Reidis Sena. The Sea Dogs pitching staff gave up just two hits on the night; as explained earlier, the Sea Dogs had that in their first two batters.
If it were up to me, once this logjam is figured out in the shortstop position, I’d consider going against the collective calls to bring Mikey Romero up just yet (including my own call just five days ago) and see what Ahbram Liendo could do in Worcester. He’s been a mammoth hitter to start 2025, can play everywhere in the infield besides first, doesn’t have much power but has really shortened up his swing in the early going. He’s just 21, and it may be worth getting a read against guys who have had some Major League experience to see what his trade stock might be.
Greenville: W, 16-0 (BOX SCORE)
I thought this was a spoofed score when I first looked at it, but when you have a guy like Peyton Tolle striking out twelve Asheville Tourists (Astros High-A) of the eighteen hitters he faced, it must have really given the team some momentum to swing for the fences. All told, the Drive had eight extra base hits, including three triples and Franklin Arias’ second home run in High-A. As if the game wasn’t wrapped up enough, the Drive had a seven-run frame in the sixth, benefitting from one of Asheville’s four errors on the night. But, there’s nothing lucky about winning by 16 runs, nor about the pitching staff gathering 19 strikeouts.
Salem: W, 9-6 (BOX SCORE)
Some debate has transpired regarding the top of the Red Sox’s offense in 2025. Such was not the case for the A-level squad in Salem Sunday afternoon. The top four slots of the lineup hit 8-for-18 and drove in six runs to propel the squad past the Nationals. The scoring was aided by cleanup hitter and catcher Andruw Mussett’s two home runs, which had a combined WPA of .352; the last one in the sixth inning truly put this one on ice.
Have a happy Monday!