The Red Sox have won 13 consecutive games and 17 of their last 19 to pull what had been an almost unwatchable season out of the pit of despair, and have done so with what has been the calling card of the team this year: Pitching. But bats are still needed if this current surge its to turn into a sustained run into the postseason, and as good as Boston has been at coming up with ways to score lately–a key three-run inning in Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay came with not actual hits–in the postseason, you need to be able to hit for power. And that’s where Roman Anthony might yet come in.
The hope is that Anthony, who is recovering from ligament and tendon damage in his hand, can get back on the field soon. That would give the offense the boost it needs. Of course, the problem is that no one seems to know when Anthony could get back on the field. He has been out since May 4–that’s 11 weeks–but has yet to even swing a bat.
The hope was that Anthony would need an 8-to-12 week recovery window. It’s all but certain he will surpass that.
Red Sox Hit Hard by Injuries
And that’s the case in several spots for the Red Sox, whose best pitcher–Garrett Crochet–is also out with a shoulder injury an lat strain that is not showing improvement. Shortstop Trevor Story, infielder Marcelo Mayer, plus starters Ranger Suarez and Connelly Early are also out, though all but Mayer are expected to be back soon.
For team president Craig Breslow, this all makes the August 3 MLB trade deadline difficult to navigate. He does not want to trade to help a spot that will then see an incumbent come back from injury.
Roman Anthony, Garrett Crochet Among Mysteries
He told reporters on Sunday (via MassLive): “I think it’s complicated in that there’s still quite a bit of uncertainty even with our own personnel, and every day that goes by, we’re getting a little bit more information about not just who we are and what we’re capable of, but, also what the outlook appears to be for some of the guys that are hopefully getting healthy.
“The next 10 days or so are going to be really critical in informing that, understanding where guys like Ranger and Early are in the short term, understanding where Roman Anthony is, and Garrett is, and Trevor, because that’s going to help dictate not just what we do, but where we focus. So, still a lot of information to factor.”
Red Sox Bats Heating Up
Breslow did push back on the notion, though, that the Red Sox have seen their priorities change since they started their current hot streak. He indicated that the team is being patient in formulating deadline plans, and were not locked into a buy-or-sell position back in June, nor now. The bats have been better, even without Roman Anthony–the Red Sox are fifth in MLB in OPS (.795) in July.
“I think to say that (our goals) have changed drastically implies that there was a set position 12 days ago or 14 days ago,” he added. “The reason that we say we want to give ourselves as much time as possible to see who we are and to watch our identity emerge is because we believe that it can change, and it can change really quickly.”
Red Sox’s Roman Anthony Highlights ‘Complicated’ Trade Deadline