The Boston Red Sox face a season-defining decision after Roman Anthony was knocked out of Tuesday’s playoff loss to the New York Yankees, and their ability to make it could be quite limited.
Anthony aggravated a hand injury in the sixth inning of the 9-0 loss, which has put the Red Sox on the brink of elimination. Facing a win-or-go-home game on Wednesday, the Red Sox could be forced to make a quick decision on a replacement for Anthony, all with limited options.
Red Sox Hit With More Injury Issues
Red Sox manager Chad Tracy revealed that Anthony was hurt while trying to check his swing, a similar situation to the season finale against the Chicago Cubs where he was hurt on a similar play.
“He took a check-swing and then another swing and his hand flared on him,” Tracy said, via WEEI. “And it got uncomfortable, so we had to make a move there.”
Tracy added that the team would need to wait until Wednesday to see whether Anthony felt good enough to play.
“It’s hard to say right now,” Tracy said. “It’s one of those things where he obviously was in a lot of discomfort. So we had to remove him. We’ll have to see what tomorrow brings.”
As reporter Rob Bradford of WEEI noted, the Red Sox got bad news just before Tuesday’s game on a potential replacement for Anthony.
“Mickey Gasper revealed before the game he has a torn biceps and will be undergoing surgery Friday,” Bradford wrote. “Romy Gonzalez’s elbow is still giving him issues, potentially putting a damper on his availability. And Masa Yoshida’s hamstring hasn’t allowed him to enter any sort of conversation when it comes to participation in the Wild Card round.”
Red Sox Have Other Options to Replace Roman Anthony
Reporter Tommy Cassell noted in a post on X that the Red Sox could also call on Braiden Ward, a career minor leaguer who was left off the playoff roster.
If the Red Sox do intend to replace Anthony, they’ll first need permission from MLB, Cassell added.
“Here’s the rule for replacing an injured player in the playoffs: A club may request permission from the Commissioner’s Office to replace a player who is injured during the course of a series, but that player is then ineligible for the rest of that round and the subsequent round, if there is one,” Cassell wrote. “A pitcher may be replaced only by another pitcher, and a position player only by another position player.”
Red Sox Face More Bad News Amid Roman Anthony Injury