Roman Anthony made his MLB debut earlier this season. Now the 21-year-old outfielder is finalizing an eight-year, $130 million contract extension with the Boston Red Sox, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The deal is set to start in 2026, and it’s slated to include escalators that could make the contract worth as much as $230 million, per Passan, who also reported Wednesday that the deal includes a club option and will keep Anthony under team control through 2034.
Advertisement
In 46 MLB games this season, Anthony is slashing .283/.400/.428 with two home runs and 19 RBI.
The Red Sox drafted Anthony 79th overall out of Florida’s Stoneman Douglas High School in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft. He eventually became the sport’s top minor-league prospect, with both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline ranking him No. 1 in June ahead of his call-up to the bigs.
Two days before he made his first Boston Red Sox appearance, Anthony went viral for hitting a 497-foot grand slam that had an exit velocity of 115.6 mph and put his Triple-A Worcester Red Sox ahead in the bottom of the eighth inning against the Rochester Red Wings.
Advertisement
During his 58 Triple-A games in 2025, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Anthony hit .288 with 10 homers and 29 RBI.
Anthony debuted in the majors against the Tampa Bay Rays on June 9 at Fenway Park. At the time, Gold Glover Wilyer Abreu was on the 10-day IL. Anthony took his place in right field but committed an error there and went hitless. Fortunately for him, his first game with the organization wasn’t predictive of how his rookie season would pan out.
His next time out, also against the Rays, Anthony delivered a two-run double in his first at-bat. With one momentous swing, he propelled the Red Sox to a bounce-back 3-1 win and teased his AL Rookie of the Year candidacy.
Advertisement
Just about a week later, Anthony served up his first career MLB home run. He deposited a solo shot in a 2-0 road victory over the Seattle Mariners, Boston’s first game after it surprisingly traded three-time All-Star slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants.
While Anthony has yet to fully harness the power he’s capable of in the majors, he has collected 15 doubles and a dozen multi-hit games. And he has emerged as a stable force at the top of the Red Sox’s lineup.
Anthony is poised to become the latest Boston player under contract through at least 2030. Left-hander Garrett Crochet, center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, infielder Kristian Campbell and…