WORCESTER — WooSox manager Chad Tracy didn’t even need to hear the question before he knew what was coming during his pre-game scrum on Tuesday at Polar Park. He wasn’t entertaining the speculation.
“We’re not putting [Roman Anthony] at first base,” Tracy said. “There has been no conversation about putting him at first. We’re getting him ready to play left field.”
The chatter started to heat up when “Felger and Mazz” co-host Tony Massarotti tweeted “If I’m the Red Sox, I start playing Roman Anthony at first base in Worcester.” on April 8, with Triston Casas (.158/.229/.238 in 21 games for the Red Sox this season) struggling at the dish.
The WooSox themselves (unintentionally) added a little fuel to the fire of speculation when they tweeted a video last week of Anthony taking routine ground balls in a drill.
The chatter made its way to the man himself, who has been sidelined from playing in the field for the past week and a half with a minor shoulder injury (that injury hasn’t kept him from hitting, however).
“I don’t think [the rumors are] true, but I’ve heard it,” Anthony said on Tuesday.
“That’s just outfield work that I started with [former WooSox bench coach and current Red Sox first base coach Jose Flores] last year when he was here, like a routine for me to just get the hands going before the outfield starts.”
Anthony said he is ready to get back in the field – the outfield, that is – on Wednesday after last playing left field on April 10. The shoulder tweak hasn’t kept him from swinging the bat well; Anthony really started to heat up on last week’s road trip, going 7-for-23 in his last six games with two home runs, one of those being a grand slam.
The 20-year-old said the injury was something he felt when he first came to Worcester from spring training with the cold weather exacerbating the pain.
“I think it was more so they just wanted to hop on it, being so early and take the time with it,” Anthony said. “Just needed to strengthen it.”
Anthony is in the lineup on Tuesday night for Worcester leading off as the DH.
WooSox 5, Mets 0
Marcelo Mayer continues to swing a hot bat, going 2-for-4 with a home run, his second of the season, and a double. Mayer’s home run (401 feet, 104 mph) was off veteran lefty MLB reliever Anthony Gose and cleared the Worcester Wall in right field. Roman Anthony also had a nice night at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double.
Yasmani Grandal, who was recently acquired to provide some catching depth with Connor Wong on the IL, introduced himself to Polar Park with a two-run home run in his second at-bat after a warning-track fly out in his first plate appearance. Grandal is 4-for-13 in his first four games with the WooSox.
Starter Cooper Criswell turned in an excellent five innings of work, allowing just two hits and fanning eight, racking up 11 whiffs. Wyatt Mills allowed just one baserunner in two innings, and Luis Guerrero closed out the game with two scoreless frames.
What’s Next
The WooSox play a doubleheader on Wednesday after a rainout earlier this month, with the first game starting at noon in order to welcome kids on spring break.
Read the original article on MassLive.
WORCESTER — WooSox manager Chad Tracy didn’t even need to hear the question before he knew what was coming during his pre-game scrum on Tuesday at Polar Park. He wasn’t entertaining the speculation.
“We’re not putting [Roman Anthony] at first base,” Tracy said. “There has been no conversation about putting him at first. We’re getting him ready to play left field.”
The chatter started to heat up when “Felger and Mazz” co-host Tony Massarotti tweeted “If I’m the Red Sox, I start playing Roman Anthony at first base in Worcester.” on April 8, with Triston Casas (.158/.229/.238 in 21 games for the Red Sox this season) struggling at the dish.
The WooSox themselves (unintentionally) added a little fuel to the fire of speculation when they tweeted a video last week of Anthony taking routine ground balls in a drill.
The chatter made its way to the man himself, who has been sidelined from playing in the field for the past week and a half with a minor shoulder injury (that injury hasn’t kept him from hitting, however).
“I don’t think [the rumors are] true, but I’ve heard it,” Anthony said on Tuesday.
“That’s just outfield work that I started with [former WooSox bench coach and current Red Sox first base coach Jose Flores] last year when he was here, like a routine for me to just get the hands going before the outfield starts.”
Anthony said he is ready to get back in the field – the outfield, that is – on Wednesday after last playing left field on April 10. The shoulder tweak hasn’t kept him from swinging the bat well; Anthony really started to heat up on last week’s road trip, going 7-for-23 in his last six games with two home runs, one of those being a grand slam.
The 20-year-old said the injury was something he felt when he first came to Worcester from spring training with the cold weather exacerbating the pain.
“I think it was more so they just wanted to hop on it, being so early and take the time with it,” Anthony said. “Just needed to strengthen it.”
Anthony is in the lineup on Tuesday night for Worcester leading off as the DH.
WooSox 5, Mets 0
Marcelo Mayer continues to swing a hot bat, going 2-for-4 with a home run, his second of the season, and a double. Mayer’s home run (401 feet, 104 mph) was off veteran lefty MLB reliever Anthony Gose and cleared the Worcester Wall in right field. Roman Anthony also had a nice night at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double.
Yasmani Grandal, who was recently acquired to provide some catching depth with Connor Wong on the IL, introduced himself to Polar Park with a two-run home run in his second at-bat after a warning-track fly out in his first plate appearance. Grandal is 4-for-13 in his first four games with the WooSox.
Starter Cooper Criswell turned in an excellent five innings of work, allowing just two hits and fanning eight, racking up 11 whiffs. Wyatt Mills allowed just one baserunner in two innings, and Luis Guerrero closed out the game with two scoreless frames.
What’s Next
The WooSox play a doubleheader on Wednesday after a rainout earlier this month, with the first game starting at noon in order to welcome kids on spring break.
