Top prospect Roman Anthony goes hitless with RBI groundout in MLB debut for the Red Sox

BOSTON (AP) — Roman Anthony was in Worcester, waiting for the 275-mile bus ride that would take him to Allentown, Pennsylvania, for his next Triple-A game, when WooSox manager Chad Tracy told the team their departure would be delayed because someone might need to head an hour east to Boston instead.

“I didn’t really think anything of it, to be honest,” Anthony told reporters in the Red Sox dugout at Fenway Park before making his major league debut in Boston's 10-8, 11-inning loss to Tampa Bay on Monday night.

“I was just kind of waiting around in the food room with a few of the guys, and then all of a sudden he came out and just said, ‘Hey, you’re going to the big leagues,’” Anthony said. “From there on out it’s kind of been a little bit of a blur. But it was amazing. You dream of that every single day. So, to finally hear it was definitely awesome.”

Anthony, who played right field and batted fifth, received the biggest cheer of all during pregame introductions and then a standing ovation from the crowd of 31,422 when he came to bat in the second inning, with a runner on first and nobody out. He popped up to left field and got another cheer as he returned to the dugout.

In the fourth, he may have been robbed of his first major league hit when he lined a ball up the middle that hit pitcher Shane Baz — at 111 mph. It deflected to the third baseman, who made the throw to first for the out. Anthony also struck out looking with runners on first and second in the sixth and walked in the seventh.

In the ninth, with the crowd again on its feet, he came up with runners on second and third and hit a hard bouncer up the middle for an RBI groundout. He was due to lead off the 11th, but manager Alex Cora pinch-hit for him against left-hander Ian Seymour.

“It was nice to finally take the field, forget about all the outside noise and just be able to take the field with the guys," he told reporters afterward. "Unfortunate we couldn't get a win, but it was a good experience — good to just get the first one over with.”

Anthony fielded two balls easily in right field — a pair of singles in the fourth inning — but in the fifth he let a rolling ball go under his glove for a two-base error that led to an unearned run, giving Tampa a 3-0 lead.

“It just can't happen,” he said. “It's tough when you lose a game like that, you feel like that's the reason we lost — little things like that. Just got to learn from it and be better.”

A 21-year-old second-round draft pick who went viral over the weekend when he hit a 497-foot grand slam in Worcester, Anthony was the top-rated prospect in the minors before his call-up. He batted .288 with 10 homers and 29 RBIs in 58 games in Triple-A this season.

His accomplishments in the minors had Red Sox fans clamoring for his call-up, especially with the team languishing in fourth place in the AL East, 8 1/2 games behind the rival New York Yankees. But while fellow prospects Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer got the call, the Red Sox remained patient on Anthony until an injury to Wilyer Abreu left them needing another outfielder.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Mayer, who was called up about two weeks ago. “It’s been talked about for a very long time, and it’s kind of crazy that today’s the day that we’re all going to share the field together in the big leagues. I’m super excited. I think we have a really good team, and he’s just another great addition to that.”

Cora said he noticed something was wrong with Abreu after Sunday’s game against the Yankees. When the team realized it would be more than a day or two, they decided to make the move and put Abreu on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain. The Red Sox made room for Anthony on the 40-man roster by designating first baseman/outfielder Ryan Noda for assignment.

“We’re trying to win ballgames,” Cora said. “The kid has done an amazing job getting ready for this moment. We’re excited. It’s a big day for the organization.”

Anthony was perhaps known only to the most dedicated fans before his homer on Saturday that was the longest measured this year by Statcast, which tracks the major leagues, Triple-A and the Class A Florida State League. Since Statcast started tracking in the majors in 2015, only five home runs have gone farther, including Nomar Mazara's 505-foot shot in 2019 for the Rangers.

After getting the promotion, Anthony had time to call his parents and siblings and an old baseball coach and gather most of his equipment — his own glove, a single bat and a borrowed pair of cleats — before driving down the MassPike to Boston. He arrived in Boston a few hours before game time and by 7:30 p.m. he was taking aim at the historic red seat that marks Ted Williams’ 502-foot homer that is the longest ever at Fenway Park.

“It happened quick. I think no matter when that call comes, nobody’s really expecting it," he said before the game. “Obviously a little bit of a short notice. But, you know, better than being on the bus to Lehigh Valley right now.”

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Boston Red Sox right fielder Roman Anthony reacts after committing a fielding error on a line drive from Tampa Bay Rays batter Yandy Díaz during the fifth inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park, Monday, June 9, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony, right, looks over his shoulder as he walks out on the field with third base coach Kyle Hudson before making his first major league start in a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park, Monday, June 9, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony speaks with the media in the dugout before making his first major league start in a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park, Monday, June 9, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony, left, smiles as he walks with third base coach Kyle Hudson before making his first major league start in a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park, Monday, June 9, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony speaks with the media in the dugout before making his first major league start in a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park, Monday, June 9, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony speaks with the media in the dugout before making his first major league start in a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park, Monday, June 9, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

The press box is decorated with championship penants at Fenway Park, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Southern separatists in Yemen said Saudi warplanes carried out new airstrikes Saturday on a military camp in the port city of Mukalla and other areas where their forces are stationed, as Saudi-backed forces moved to retake the city.

There was no immediate Saudi comment. It was the latest direct intervention by Saudi Arabia, which in recent weeks has bombed the separatist Southern Transitional Council, or STC, and struck what is said was a shipment of Emirati weapons destined for it.

The Saudi strikes hit Barshid Brigade camp west of Mukalla in Hadramout, one of two governorates seized last month by the STC, according to the group’s AIC satellite news channel.

Yemen has been engulfed in civil war for more than a decade, with Iran-backed Houthi rebels controlling much of the north and a Saudi-led coalition supporting the internationally recognized government in the south. But coalition member the United Arab Emirates also supports the separatists, who call for South Yemen to secede again from Yemen.

The latest Saudi strikes came a day after the separatist movement announced a constitution for an independent nation in the south.

Last month, the STC moved into Hadramout and Mahra and seized an oil-rich region. That pushed out allies of the Saudi-supported National Shield forces, a group in the anti-Houthi coalition.

After Saudi pressure and an ultimatum from anti-Houthi forces to withdraw from Yemen, the UAE said early Saturday it had pulled out all its forces.

The tensions in Yemen have further strained ties between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, neighbors on the Arabian Peninsula that have competed over economic issues and regional politics, particularly in the Red Sea area. Ostensibly, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have shared the coalition's professed goal of restoring Yemen's internationally recognized government.

An official with the STC told The Associated Press on Saturday that more than 100 Saudi airstrikes struck multiple locations across Hadramout over the past 24 hours, resulting in deaths and injuries. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to brief the media.

Mukalla residents Ahmed al-Faradi and Salem Maadan told the AP the city was now controlled by the Hadramout Tribes Confederacy and the National Shield forces.

Col. Ahmed Baqatyan, a military commander in the Hadramout Tribes Confederacy, said that striking the Barshid Brigade camp was necessary because it sits on the route to the southern port city of Aden. He said clearing the camp of STC forces was aimed at preventing them from regrouping and launching a return to Mukalla.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Transportation Ministry, aligned with the STC, condemned Saudi airstrikes late Friday it said targeted the international airport in Seiyun, “exposing the airport to serious risks that could damage its infrastructure, hindering its operation and the resumption of flights.”

Earlier on Saturday, Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said it plans to hold a conference in its capital, Riyadh, to bring together all southern factions in Yemen "to discuss just solutions to the southern cause."

Saudi Arabia was responding to a request for dialogue from Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, the ruling organ of the internationally recognized government.

There were no immediate details about the proposed conference.

The anti-Houthi coalition was showing other signs of strain. Clashes erupted on Friday between National Shield forces and the southern forces in Hadramout and their allies, killing at least eight people, paramedic Ahmed al-Ketheri told the AP.

Hilal Khashan, political science professor at the American University of Beirut, said that when Saudi Arabia and the UAE began a military operation against the Houthis a decade ago, the Saudis were interested in controlling the mountains of Saada, while the UAE wanted to capture Aden because of its importance as a gateway to the Red Sea.

Khashan said the situation got out of control in recent weeks when the UAE-backed STC started capturing areas in Hadramout that border the kingdom.

“For the Saudis that was a red line,” Khashan said, adding that the Saudis felt that they were being “held captive between the Houthis in the north and the UAE in the south.” They ”decided to stop the UAE from its regional expansionism," he said.

Khaled reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.

Supporters of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a coalition of separatist groups seeking to restore the state of South Yemen, hold South Yemen flags during a rally, in Aden, Yemen, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo)