BOSTON -- Alex Cora and the Boston Red Sox are taking it slow with their prized top prospects.
If Cora sticks with his current strategy, left-handed hitters Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony won't see many at-bats against southpaws during their rookie seasons. The Red Sox manager has mostly benched Mayer against left-handers since his big-league promotion, and Anthony was lifted for pinch-hitter Rob Refsnyder in the 11th inning of his MLB debut Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Before Tuesday's game at Fenway Park, Cora explained why he prefers to sit Mayer and Anthony against left-handed pitching, citing lefty mashers Romy Gonzalez and Rob Refsnyder as his go-to options in those scenarios.
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SIGN UP HERE "The lefties here are real lefties," Cora said. "There's stuff here, especially the guys in the bullpen. I truly believe that if you've got stuff, you're gonna be here. You're not gonna be in Triple-A or Double-A. So what they see here is different. ...
"What Romy (Gonzalez) has done the last year and a half, he's been amazing. Even yesterday, Ref (Rob Refsnyder) went into my office and he's praising Romy like, 'Man, this guy's the best against lefties.' ... The kids, they understand. They know. I had a conversation with Marcelo in New York and today I talked to Roman about a lot of stuff, including pinch-hitting. They're all-in to win. We will keep doing that."
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Anthony and Mayer will bat fifth and seventh, respectively, in Tuesday's lineup against Rays right-hander Ryan Pepiot. If Tampa Bay turns to a left-hander out of their bullpen, their nights could again end early.
"We've got a righty today, so they're starting," Cora continued. "We're trying to actually play the game of how to protect them. They don't see many lefties during the game, understanding that there's a pocket up there with Jarren (Duran) and Raffy (Rafael Devers). If they bring the lefties for those guys, then it's good for us. We'll keep making adjustments and see where we're at.
"Yesterday, if the game was tied (in the 11th inning), Roman was gonna hit. He's seen that guy (Rays reliever Ian Seymour) in the minor leagues before, so let him hit, get the guy over. Probably were gonna pinch-hit with Ref later on, so you've just got to manage the game."
Mayer's numbers against lefties were significantly worse throughout his minor-league career, so the decision to sit him against southpaws isn't all that surprising. That said, it would make sense to get him more accustomed to big-league left-handed pitching during a crucial development year for the former first-round draft pick.
Sitting Anthony against lefties is even more perplexing. The 21-year-old slugger has been unfazed by unfavorable matchups, posting a .955 OPS against left-handers this season at Triple-A Worcester and a .879 OPS against righties.
Cora attributes some of that success to a sizable talent gap between Triple-A and MLB left-handed pitchers.
"The good ones are here," Cora said. "I'm not saying that's what they did, I think they're very talented and they're here because they have earned the right to be in the big leagues. But yeah, there's a big gap."
Eventually, Mayer and Anthony will get to prove themselves against left-handers. For now, Cora and Co. will play it safe with the club still fighting to get back to .500 (32-36). Boston entered Tuesday nine games back in the American League East.
Anthony will look to earn his first MLB hit Tuesday in front of the Fenway Faithful. First pitch against the Rays is set for 7:10 p.m. ET.