PHOENIX — Roman Anthony is not with the Red Sox on the current road trip while recovering from his oblique strain, but that hasn’t stopped a Diamondbacks star from tracking the beginning of the rookie’s career.
Arizona All-Star outfielder Corbin Carroll has taken note of the place Anthony has assumed both with the Red Sox and in the game — particularly with his fellow outfielder agreeing to an eight-year, $130 million deal that will run from 2026-33 with a team option for 2034. The contract had an obvious reference point: Carroll’s eight-year, $111 million deal (with a team option for a ninth year) that he signed prior to the 2023 season.
“Whenever there’s a young player in this league that signed a contract, I’m always interested in it,” said Carroll. “There’s an element of it [when] a young player does something like that, it’s setting a precedent for other players moving forward. So I think just for the health of this game, it’s important for those contracts to be favorable for both sides. That’s another great example of that.”
Carroll has been everything the Diamondbacks could have hoped for, winning Rookie of the Year and finishing fifth in NL MVP voting in 2023, being named to a pair of All-Star teams, and emerging as one of the top power/speed players in the game who on Friday against the Red Sox reached the 30-homer plateau for the first time. He’s also demonstrated remarkable maturity and leadership at the beginning of his career.
There are no guarantees about the future, but Carroll has been on a track that would have potentially netted him a landmark contract had he pursued free agency after his age-27 season in 2028. He harbors no regrets.
“Regardless of what the dollars and cents might say, just having that little extra bit of security as a young player is a unique experience in a game where young players have so little security,” said Carroll. “There’s not a day that goes by where I’m like, ‘Oh, I shouldn’t have done that.’ ”
He believes Anthony, who not only signed for a larger guarantee but has escalators built into his deal to further reward elite performance, will have a similar experience.
“For him to still be hitting free agency right after his age-30 season, around there, that’s great to see that he’ll have another opportunity where, if he’s the player everyone thinks he’s going to be, that will be his big contract,” said Carroll.
Abreu off and running in rehab
In a critical new stage of his rehab from a calf strain, outfielder Wilyer Abreu started running Friday and did so again Saturday with team trainers in Boston.
While he is still building intensity, there is promise to the direction of Abreu’s recovery.
“It wasn’t full speed, but he felt better than the last time he tried,” said Sox manager Alex Cora, comparing Abreu’s buildup to an unsuccessful effort to start running in late August. “It’s the start of his progression. I don’t know as far as timetable, but it’s good news.”
Abreu’s absence from the lineup, combined with the loss of Anthony to his oblique injury, has left the team’s outfield in a state of flux. Nate Eaton started in right field Saturday night, and Cora said he’d consider having Jarren Duran play right (a position where he’s played just 50 big league innings) and Masataka Yoshida play left.
Yoshida starts things off
Yoshida served as the Red Sox’ leadoff hitter in Saturday’s 5-1 loss, the first time in his career he occupied that slot. He went 1 for 4, with his third-inning single driving in a run. Cora relayed a conversation he had with Yoshida about the possibility during Friday’s loss.
“I said, ‘Will you feel uncomfortable at it?’ He said, ‘No, it’s the same at-bat, so nothing’s going to change,’” said Cora.
Cora suggested it’s critical for the Sox to tap into a more productive version of Yoshida.
“This is a guy that we envisioned as a great hitter,” said Cora. “When he’s locked in, he hits the ball hard, he gets on base at a high rate, and that’s what we expect.”
Pitching plans start to take shape
Cora said Garrett Crochet will start Monday against the Athletics in Sacramento, followed by Dustin May Tuesday. The Sox have yet to decide on Wednesday’s starter, including whether rookie Payton Tolle might be a candidate after allowing five runs in three innings Friday … Richard Fitts (neuritis) is feeling better but has yet to start throwing since landing on the injured list, leading Cora to express uncertainty about whether the pitcher will return this year. “It’s getting late,” said Cora … With news of the passing of Davey Johnson, Cora shared fond memories of the man who managed him near the start of his career with the Dodgers in 1999-2000 and at the end of Cora’s career with the Nationals in 2011. “He was a great player, great manager, a great person,” said Cora. “He took care of me.” … Dustin Pedroia returned to Chase Field to catch his former team playing. Accompanying Pedroia was former Sox teammate Jacoby Ellsbury.
Rodriguez catches up with old friends
One day after Eduardo Rodriguez picked up the win over the Red Sox, he enjoyed a chance to catch up with several friends from his time with the team from 2014-21, including Cora, coach Jason Varitek, assistant general manager Eddie Romero, and others.
Rodriguez, 32, recently surpassed 10 years of big league service time, and expressed gratitude for his longevity in the big leagues.
“There are not many players who get 10 years, so I feel I’ve been blessed to accomplish all that,” said Rodriguez.
Whereas Rodriguez recalled “getting chills” the first time he faced the Sox with the Tigers in 2022, and in his first return to Fenway Park, he said the turnover on the team since his final year in 2021 has made facing his ex-club less emotional.
“For me now, it’s just another team,” said Rodriguez.
Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. Follow him @alexspeier.