Roman Anthony Welcomes Newest Red Sox Teammate, Drops Hilarious One-Liner

There's a lot to like about the Boston Red Sox's acquisition of starting pitcher Johan Oviedo, especially from Roman Anthony's perspective.

When the Red Sox faced the Pittsburgh Pirates at the end of August, Anthony struck out in three consecutive at-bats to begin a Saturday game against Oviedo, which the Red Sox lost in blowout fashion. Perhaps Oviedo's performance that day stuck with the Sox, who traded top outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia to the Pirates two weeks ago to land the 27-year-old righty.

Now, Anthony doesn't have to worry about facing Oviedo anymore, and it seems as though he has no issue with that fact whatsoever.

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Anthony, Oviedo share humorous first interaction

On Tuesday, Oviedo reposted an Instagram story from Cressey Sports Performance, a training facility where both he and Anthony have worked out this offseason, showing the two Red Sox players dapping each other up, with the 21-year-old outfielder welcoming his new teammate to the organization.

"Now I don't have to strike out three times anymore, let's go!" Anthony could be heard joking to a smiling Oviedo.

Oviedo told Anthony he was happy to be joining the Red Sox in the 11-second clip, to which Anthony responded, "It's a good squad."

Roman Anthony and Johan Oviedo have linked up at @CresseySP!

“Now I don’t have to strike out 3 times anymore.” 😭 pic.twitter.com/LOyJv91cPA
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) December 16, 2025

Anthony seemingly had trouble with Oviedo's fastball, which became a completely different pitch with much more induced vertical break (or "ride," as many fans may know it) upon his return from Tommy John surgery last year. Plus, Oviedo struck him out on two curveballs in his last two at-bats.

What the Red Sox saw in Oviedo's nine starts last year was a different pitcher than who the massive 6-foot-6 righty had been for the first few seasons of his career with the Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals. They're banking on him becoming a bona fide rotation contributor in his last two years of arbitration eligibility.

If Anthony is a fan of the pickup, it's doubtful many Red Sox fans will have an issue with it early on. But Boston's rotation competition in spring training will also be a fierce one, so Oviedo will have to quickly prove himself in February and March.

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