The Boston Red Sox fell 9-6 to the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night at Fenway Park. Rookie starter Jedixson Paez surrendered eight runs across 3⅔ innings in his first outing for the organization. Boston dropped to 75-64.
It has been a difficult stretch. The cushion in the wild-card race has thinned. The schedule ahead does not get easier.
But one player has given the Red Sox nothing to worry about since rejoining the lineup.
Anthony is Red Hot Since Return
Roman Anthony added two more hits on Tuesday night, pushing his line to 6 for 13 across his first three games back from the injured list. He has reached base every time he has been in the lineup since the Red Sox activated him on Sunday.
The 22-year-old has collected two doubles and a triple among his six hits. His hardest-hit ball on Tuesday left the bat at 110.3 miles per hour. The kind of exit velocity that removes any doubt about whether the power in his hands has fully returned.
Anthony has now recorded two hits in each of his first three games back, matching his longest hitting streak of the 2026 season. He strung together three-game streaks on three separate occasions before the finger injury shut him down in early May. Reaching that mark immediately upon returning says everything about where his timing and confidence stand.
The Questions Have Been Answered
The road back was not smooth. Anthony missed nearly four months after tearing a tendon in his right ring finger. The injury was originally thought to be a wrist problem. Early attempts to ramp up led to setbacks that extended the timeline further. It took consultations with multiple doctors to confirm the recovery would need approximately three months.
That projection held. Anthony resumed game action in mid-August and worked his way through Portland and Worcester before being activated last weekend.
Three games into his return, the answer is clear. The finger is not an issue. The swing is sharp. The results are matching the process.
What Anthony Adds to the Red Sox
The Red Sox trail the New York Yankees by 4 games for the top American League wild-card spot. The margin is tightening. Every lineup decision carries more weight now than it did a month ago.
Anthony’s presence changes how opposing pitchers approach the lineup and gives Chad Tracy another option in high-leverage situations.
The Red Sox thrived without Anthony for months. The fill-ins earned their place. But adding a hitter who is producing at this level from the moment he steps back into the lineup raises the ceiling for a team that still has postseason aspirations.
Final Word for the Red Sox
Three games. Two hits in every one. The longest hitting streak of his season, matched in his first week back from a three-month absence.
Roman Anthony is not easing his way into the lineup. He is attacking it.
The Red Sox needed Anthony to come back healthy. He came back hitting. That is the difference between a team hoping to make the playoffs and a team built to compete in them.
Red Sox Get Notable Roman Anthony Update After Return