The Boston Red Sox faced some high expectations for Roman Anthony going into this season, but he instead suffered through uneven play followed by a long injury absence.
Now, as the promising young player nears his return, one MLB insider believes he is ready to return to the form that made him one of the league’s top prospects.
Roman Anthony Expected to Make Big Return
Anthony has been out since May after suffering a torn ligament in his right ring finger. His rehab moved along slowly but steadily and he is close to facing high-velocity hitting.
Anthony still has milestones to reach including simulated games or a rehab assignment in Triple-A, but has already shown he can field and throw.
SI.com writer Patrick McAvoy predicted that Anthony is ready to hit the ground running once he returns.
“When Anthony returns, he’s going to be a game-changer for a lineup that has already turned its season around,” McAvoy wrote. “Because of Anthony’s long absence, it’s easy to forget the expectations that he entered the season with. There were some out there who even projected Anthony to go out and win the 2026 American League MVP Award. Now, of course, that isn’t going to happen this year. But that’s how highly he is viewed around the league.”
The Red Sox were lingering in the AL East basement at the time Anthony went out and appeared headed to a long summer, but the team has since reeled off two long winning streaks to reach 13 games over .500.
‘A few months ago, Boston looked like one of the worst teams in the league. Now, Boston is playing like the best and is going to get even better,” McAvoy wrote. “This team is starting to look like one that not only will make the playoffs, but could make a very deep run.”
Roman Anthony Making Good Progress After Injury
Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy shared some good news on Anthony’s progress this week, saying he has responded well to every step of rehab.
“From what I understand, he’s taking swings and feels really good,” Tracy said, via MassLive.com. “There may be things post-(hitting) where you have a little soreness, but that’s pretty expected at this point.
“All things are positive. Let him keep taking steps, temper expectations until he crosses and checks all these boxes, then we’ll see when we can get him here.”
Red Sox Face Strong Prediction on Roman Anthony as Return Nears