Boston Red Sox star Roman Anthony was forced out of Tuesday’s playoff opener against the New York Yankees with an apparent injury, leading to some criticism of the snakebitten star.
Anthony was pulled from the game in the sixth inning, replaced in the lineup by Andruw Monasterio. Though the Red Sox had not yet confirmed Anthony’s injury, there was some immediate speculation that it started on his final at-bat of the regular season — and criticism from fans about his struggles to stay healthy.
Roman Anthony Appeared to Aggravate Injury From Last Weekend
There were some suggestions that Anthony re-aggravated an injury that he initially suffered on the final at-bat of the season in a game against the Chicago Cubs that had been relocated to Tampa amid weather concerns.
The injury took place on a seemingly normal play, with Anthony checking his swing during a second-inning at-bat.
“This video from TC shows the check swing in question from Roman Anthony on Sunday,” noted reporter Tommy Cassell in a post on X.
Reporter Gavin Groe of The Big Lead noted that Anthony appeared to be hampered going into the game, and continued to struggle with checking his swing during Tuesday’s game against the Yankees.
“Anthony had his right hand wrapped before the game, signaling that a right hand and wrist issue had flared up again. He missed over 100 games during the regular season with the same setback,” Groe wrote. “The Red Sox have not officially confirmed the nature of the injury. However, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com, Anthony was unable to check his swing in both at-bats on Tuesday.”
Fans Frustrated With Roman Anthony Injury Concerns
Anthony’s injury on Tuesday sparked frustration among fans who noted his difficulties in staying on the field.
“How is Roman Anthony out of this ballgame right now,” one fan shared in a post on X. “How do you get pulled in the middle of a wild card game AS A DH against your biggest rival with no obvious evidence of injury. This is why baseball will always have this rap. Play through it.”
Others questioned why Anthony seemed to have such difficulty on plays that often appear innocent.
“If Roman Anthony got hurt diving all over the field it would be one thing. But this guy gets hurt literally barely swinging a bat multiple times a year,” one poster noted on X.
“I need every doctor, medial staffer, PhD student, etc. that can be found to study and figure out how to keep Roman Anthony healthy in the offseason,” another fan wrote.
Red Sox Roman Anthony Faces Criticism After Injury Against Yankees