Roman Anthony was getting ready to board the WooSox bus to Lehigh Valley when the team was told there was going to be a brief delay. Not thinking anything of it, Anthony and his teammates gathered in the clubhouse cafeteria when manager Chad Tracy came out and delivered the news Anthony had been waiting his whole life to hear.

He was finally going to the big leagues.

“From there on out it’s been a little bit of a blur,” Anthony said. “But it was amazing, you dream of that every single day, so to finally hear it, it was awesome.”

MLB’s No. 1 prospect, Anthony made his long-awaited arrival at Fenway Park ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. The promotion came together at the last minute after the club had to place starting right fielder Wilyer Abreu on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain, and the Red Sox tossed the rookie right into the fire, batting Anthony fifth while starting him in right field.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said they would have preferred it not play out this way, but he’s confident Anthony will be able to help the team.

“We’re trying to win ballgames and the kid has done an amazing job throughout (player development) just getting ready for this moment,” Cora said. “Obviously not the way you want, Willy is a good player, a great defender and a good at-bat, but he’ll be here and we’re excited. It’s a big day for the organization.”

News broke that Anthony was Boston-bound shortly before 4 p.m., at which point he hopped in his car and made the 45-mile drive from Polar Park to Fenway. It was so abrupt that most of his stuff was already en route to Lehigh Valley with the Triple-A club, leaving Anthony to scrounge together enough equipment to play.

“I got my glove, I got a teammate of mine’s cleats in Triple-A, so there wasn’t much but enough to put it together for one night,” Anthony said.

Anthony also had limited time to let his friends and family know he was being called up. He told his parents, siblings and several other important people know, but nobody had enough time to make it to Fenway Park for his debut.

“That call to my family and a few coaches and friends definitely was pretty emotional,” Anthony said.

Anthony’s arrival will provide the club with an immediate jolt of energy, particularly among fans who have been clamoring for his promotion since the spring. The 21-year-old has ranked among the best performers in the minor leagues all season, and coming into the week Anthony boasts a .288 batting average with 10 home runs, 29 RBI and a .913 OPS in 58 games with the WooSox.

His advanced metrics are also off the charts, and he’s regularly made waves with home runs that rank among the hardest-hit balls in professional baseball, including the majors. His latest and most impressive feat came just Saturday, when Anthony hit a 497-foot grand slam, the longest home run measured by Statcast at any level of baseball so far this season.

While Anthony will play right field in his debut, the outfielder has primarily played in left and center and will likely see time at those positions in the coming days. Cora was mum on how he will be used, saying only that they’ll mix and match and that they expect Anthony will contribute.

As for Anthony, he isn’t worried about what position he’ll play. Amid a whirlwind evening, being in the big league lineup is special enough.

“It doesn’t matter to me,” Anthony said. “I’m here and I’m going to try and help this team win no matter where that is.”

Abreu to IL

While Anthony’s call-up was the big story on Monday, the other side of the coin was Abreu, whom the Red Sox placed on the 10-day injured list with a left-oblique strain.

“Obviously not the way you want it,” Cora said of the ‘24 Gold Glover’s injury opening the door for baseball’s No. 1 overall prospect. “Willy’s a good player, great defender, a good at-bat.”

The injury happened during Sunday’s series finale at Yankee Stadium, an 11-7 Red Sox victory. Abreu wasn’t in the starting lineup, but entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and replaced Rob Refsnyder in right-field.

“Yesterday there was a fly-ball he hit to center and I saw him running to first, and I’m like ‘There’s something going on here,’” Cora said. “He got treatment after the game, got treatment today. We hope it’s not a while, we’ll get more details later on, but it makes sense to put him on the IL.”

To clear space on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox also designated minor league first baseman Ryan Noda for assignment.

Big 3 back together

Two-thirds of Boston’s ‘Big Three’ prospects were together when they found out the trio was about to be made whole again with Roman Anthony getting called up to join the Red Sox on Monday.

“Me and Marcelo were together, actually, we were hitting and we found out,” Kristian Campbell told the Herald before Monday night’s game at Fenway Park, “and we were both super-excited, you know, been waiting for this the whole year so far, so it’s exciting times for sure.”

“When I heard, I shot him a text, called him, and just expressed how excited I was for him and that I’d see him soon,” Marcelo Mayer said.

Campbell made the roster out of spring training and debuted on Red Sox Opening Day. Mayer joined him less than two weeks ago, on May 24. Even Kyle Teel, the top catching prospect from the days when the ‘Big Three’ were the ‘Big Four,’ debuted with the White Sox over the weekend.

At last, but certainly not least, it’s Anthony’s turn.

On a team full of young players and rookies, he’ll be the youngest by far. Yet less than a month removed from his 21st birthday on May 13, Anthony goes about his business with a maturity far beyond his years.

“I think he’s really ready,” Campbell said, emphasizing the word ‘really.’ “He’s been ready. I know he’s excited, we’re all excited for him. We’ve been looking forward to this moment.”

“I don’t think I have to really say anything to him,” said Mayer, when asked what advice he’d offer to help ease Anthony’s transition to the big leagues. “He’s a pro. He knows what to do. I know he’s gonna come up here and put in the work and do whatever he can to help the team win.”

They’ll have plenty of time together now: on Monday night, Anthony, Campbell, and Mayer were batting fifth, sixth, and seventh in the Red Sox lineup. They’ve come a long way since the last time they were in the same regular-season lineup: last July, when they were still in Double-A Portland.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Mayer said.

Van Belle called up

In addition to Anthony, the Red Sox also called up right-hander Brian Van Belle from Triple-A. The 28-year-old had never pitched in the majors and currently boasts a 2.29 ERA in 12 outings (eight starts) with the WooSox. To clear space on the 40-man roster the club designated right-hander Robert Stock for assignment.