Red Sox Announce Roman Anthony Decision Before Mariners Series Finale

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The Red Sox announced a decision involving Roman Anthony before their series finale against the Seattle Mariners.

The Boston Red Sox took a 9-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners Tuesday at Fenway Park.

In a matinee game Wednesday, the Red Sox still have a chance to take the three-game series and keep pace in the American League wild-card race.

Before the series finale, the Red Sox announced a decision with one of their brightest young stars.

Roman Anthony will be back in the Red Sox lineup, but not back in the outfield.

Boston has Anthony leading off as its designated hitter against the Mariners at Fenway, with left-hander Patrick Sandoval scheduled to face Seattle right-hander Bryce Miller at 4:10 p.m. ET. The lineup puts Mickey Gasper at first base, Ceddanne Rafaela in center, Wilyer Abreu in right and Jarren Duran in left. Boston’s posted lineup has Anthony at DH after the 22-year-old made his first outfield start since returning from the injured list on Tuesday.

Anthony started in right field Tuesday. He went 2-for-5 and scored in Boston’s 9-6 loss to Seattle, extending an immediate run of production following an absence that lasted nearly four months.

The DH assignment is not a demotion from the outfield. Until now, that’s just the organization’s plan for its emerging superstar.

Why Anthony is Back at DH

Anthony returned to the active roster Sunday as the designated hitter, a spot opened up by the hamstring injury to regular DH Masataka Yoshida. Anthony was set to receive selected outfield opportunities, rather than being thrown immediately into an everyday defensive workload. Interim manager Chad Tracy said the club would monitor Anthony day to day and noted that DH duty limits the stress of being “overly used on his feet.”

That makes Wednesday’s lineup change unsurprising. Anthony played nine innings in right field Tuesday after serving as the DH in each of his first two games back, Sunday at Yankee Stadium and Monday against the Mariners. Duran remains in left field, while Anthony’s return gives Boston another left-handed leadoff option against right-handed starters such as Miller.

The concern is not simply whether Anthony can take at-bats. It’s his cumulative workload with swings, throws, running and consecutive days on his legs. Boston used a similar approach during his rehab assignment, mixing designated-hitter work with outfield appearances before activating him from the 60-day IL Sunday.

Anthony’s Return and Outlook

So far, the bat appears fully game-ready. Anthony is 6-for-13 since his return, with two doubles, a triple, a walk and three runs scored. He opened with a 2-for-4 day Sunday against the Yankees, then went 2-for-4 with a double, triple and walk in Monday’s 9-8 walk-off win over Seattle before adding Tuesday’s two-hit game. Anthony hit one ball 110.3 mph off the bat Tuesday.

The three-game hitting streak matches his longest of the 2026 season. Through 33 games and 122 at-bats entering Wednesday, Anthony was batting .254 with a .368 on-base percentage, a .369 slugging percentage, one homer, five RBIs, 15 runs, 21 walks and two stolen bases. His seven-game line stood at .423/.483/.654, going back to before his lengthy absence due to the finger injury.

Anthony’s injury struck May 4 at Detroit, when an awkward check swing damaged his right hand. Initially listed as a wrist sprain, the injury was later identified as a partially torn CMC ligament in his right ring finger. Boston placed him on the 10-day IL, transferred him to the 60-day IL on June 28 and had him work through a lengthy rehabilitation process before his late-August return.

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