The Boston Red Sox are just two games below .500, but they’ve won four of their last five. With series wins over the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, the team will enjoy Thursday, June 12, off before hosting the Yankees in a massive three-game divisional showdown.
With a pair of rookies on the rise, Rafael Devers commented on how the team is doing, but they’re still nine games behind the first-place Yankees.
Rafael Devers Hypes Up a Pair of Rookies
Roman Anthony has been getting all the attention, but Marcelo Mayer also deserves his flowers. After a hot stretch from the Rays, the Red Sox seemed to put out that fire as they are now just three games behind the third-place team in the AL East. It’s clear that no one is touching the Yankees, but the Red Sox would love to strike lightning in a bottle again and walk out of Fenway Park on Father’s Day with another series win.
Look at how happy Marcelo Mayer and the Red Sox dugout were for Roman Anthony’s first hit pic.twitter.com/jyz82jyv7Y
— Jordan Moore (@iJordanMoore) June 11, 2025
“They’ve been great. They’ve made us better,” Devers said concerning Anthony and Mayer. “It helps us a lot to have them in the lineup. It helps me, too.”
Devers has the second-most at-bats on the team, only behind Jarren Duran. The two are neck and neck, as Devers has the slight advantage with his .276 average compared to Duran’s .271. The power lies in the Red Sox’s designated hitter, though, as his .911 OPS is the most among active players, only trailing the injured Alex Bregman’s mark of .938.
While neither Anthony nor Mayer has been in the big leagues that long, they’ve made an immediate impact. Anthony’s call-up was overdue, but he committed a crucial error in his first game. Once he put that behind him, he was able to complete his first series with the team successfully.
Through just three games, Anthony has driven in three runs. He did so with a walk, similar to how Mayer obtained his first RBI. Anthony got his first big league hit in his second game with the team, a two-RBI double. While it remains the only hit of his MLB career, he drove in a crucial two runs in the team’s 3-1 win over the Rays.
Mayer has already played in 13 more games than Anthony. Mayer’s first came at Yankee Stadium, with all three home runs coming in June. With that long ball giving him the confidence he needed, Mayer recently had a two-home-run game against the Rays, with his two RBIs being the difference in the team’s 4-3 win.