Certainly, no one wants to rain on the parade of a team that has only recently ripped off a 15-game winning streak and gone 22-4 in the past month. That’s what the Red Sox have done, and it has revitalized a team that appeared headed into a miserable summer of finger-pointing and doldrums. Boston is back in the playoff mix, and all is well at Fenway. Except, there’s still the matter of the mysterious hand injury that has kept former top prospect, one-time MVP candidate and $130 million outfielder Roman Anthony on the shelf since early May.
The details of the whole thing, of course, remain fuzzy and that’s been a cause for worry about the Red Sox faithful going back to when the injury first happened on a checked swing. Anthony apparently did ligament damage in his wrist and ring finger, an injury that was originally deemed to be a short-term thing. But he has been unable to swing a bat consistently since then.
Three weeks ago, in an odd move, the Red Sox decided to transfer Anthony to the team’s facility in Fort Myers, with manager Chad Tracy saying it was done so that Anthony could, “get away from all he’s doing.”
Breslow on Roman Anthony Return: ‘I Hope So’
Without much by way of Red Sox progress reports on Anthony, fans have got nothing to go on but hope that he can come back and play a productive role for a team that he was supposed to be an integral part of. Remember, Anthony was a spark plug for Boston’s second-half surge into the playoffs last year, until an oblique injury in early September forced him out for the rest of the year, including the playoffs.
On Sunday, when Red Sox chief baseball office Craig Breslow visited the team’s radio broadcast booth during the win over the Blue Jays, play-by-play man Dave O’Brien naturally asked for an Anthony update. And Breslow was not exactly brimming with confidence that Anthony is on the verge of a return.
Said O’Brien: “Can you get Roman Anthony back? Are you confident you’ll see him back this year?”
Breslow responded: “I hope so.”
Red Sox Staying Aggressive
Now, the Red Sox have shown that they can win without Anthony. Ceddanne Rafaela has had his best year at the plate. Wilyer Abreu, despite some recent struggles, has been excellent all season. Even Jaren Duran has begun to hit lately, and Masataka Yoshida has been relatively productive.
And the Red Sox are proceeding to be aggressive at the trade deadline, already adding infielder Curtis Mead and in the market to add another power bat. Of course, Boston would welcome Anthony’s return, but they appear to be operating as if he might not play again in 2026.
Breslow said that aggressiveness is in order, with or without Roman Anthony: “I think the players deserve it; I think the fans deserve it. It has been a turbulent path to get here… the resilience and toughness of this team has become very apparent and the opportunity to upgrade is something we’re looking for.”
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