Red Sox under fire for expecting Roman Anthony to be ‘Big Papi’ too early

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The Boston Red Sox face fresh scrutiny over their $130 million contract extension to Roman Anthony, who made his MLB debut last year. The extension will run through the 2033 season, and includes a club option for the 2034 season.

Anthony started the 2026 season slowly and has been absent since May due to a partially torn ligament in his right ring finger. Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy mistook it for "sprain" but later realized his mistake on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show."

Former Red Sox pitcher Adam Ottavino put the franchise on the spot for their plans on Anthony during his appearance on Foul Territory.

MORE: Red Sox have completely mismanaged the Roman Anthony injury situation

"You're asking him to be your Big Papi": Analyst sounds off on Roman Anthony plans​

Ottavino thinks the franchise is expecting too much of a 21-year-old and questions whether the $130 million contract was a sound investment.

"I do think that they kind of overdid it with Roman Anthony, expecting so much out of him to basically carry the ball club offensively as a 21-year-old for whatever he is right now," Ottavino said on Foul Territory. "Obviously, he has the unfortunate injury, so he's not even playing."

According to Ottavino, it's unrealistic for Anthony to start delivering like Red Sox legend David Ortiz, but that's what the franchise is expecting.

"And I think Roman's a superstar, but that was a big ask. That's a big ask," Ottavino said. "You're asking him to be your Big Papi right now. That just doesn't seem realistic to me. And I think that was poor planning. So yeah, you can talk about the injury, but ultimately, I don't think the plan was very sound in this situation."

Anthony's return timeline is unclear, and the latest setbacks only mean that he has not yet reached the stage where he can swing his bat without discomfort.

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