Red Sox Announce Concerning Roman Anthony Decision Before Yankees Game 2

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The Red Sox announced a concerning Roman Anthony decision before Game 2 against the Yankees after his right hand flared up in the opener.

The Boston Red Sox face a sudden end to their season Wednesday, when they face the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium down 1-0 in their American League wild-card series.

Their 22-year-old star leadoff hitter was forced to exit Tuesday’s game with a resurgence of the hand injury that kept him out of the lineup for 101 games during the regular season. The concern for Anthony only grew deeper the following day.

Anthony is not in the Boston Red Sox lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Yankees.

Jahmai Jones takes over as leadoff hitter and DH, while Nate Eaton slides into left field, leaving the Red Sox without their most dynamic bat as New York’s Max Fried takes the mound.

Roman Anthony’s Hand Injury Explained

The trouble traces back to May 4 in Detroit, when an awkward check swing left Anthony with what was first labeled a wrist sprain. It turned out to be a partial tear of the tendon and ligament at the carpometacarpal joint of his right ring finger, sidelining him from May 5 through Aug. 29, with 101 games missed when it was all over.

Anthony also sat out the 2025 postseason with a left oblique strain, so this marks back-to-back Octobers compromised by injury for the 22-year-old. He returned in late August from the hand injury and hit .262/.321/.476 with four home runs over 25 games, finishing the regular season at .245/.339/.396 with five home runs and 15 RBI in 55 total appearances.

Anthony described occasional “zingers” since his return, discomfort he could play through. Tuesday’s Game 1 was different. He went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts against Cam Schlittler before Andruw Monasterio pinch hit for him in the sixth inning of what became a 9-0 Yankees rout.

“You’ll get a zinger every once in a while where you feel something. It’s fine, it goes away,” manager Chad Tracy said of the injury, according to a Tuesday report from Sporting News. “But today some stuff happened that was more serious and was uncomfortable.”

“He took a check-swing, and then another swing, and his hand flared on him and it got uncomfortable, so we had to make a move,” Tracy said. On whether Anthony plays Game 2, the manager offered no guarantees. “It’s hard to say right now,” he said. “We’ll have to see what tomorrow brings.”

When tomorrow came, the decision was made.

Anthony left Yankee Stadium without addressing reporters. His teammates filled the void instead.

“Roman’s a big part of this team. That goes without saying,” Caleb Durbin said, according to comments relayed after Tuesday’s loss. “At this point of the year, it’s next man up.”

Veteran shortstop Trevor Story echoed the sentiment.

“He’s been battling through a lot, so you hate to see him have to come out,” Story said.

What Roman Anthony’s Absence Means for the Red Sox

Boston enters Wednesday already backed into a corner. The Red Sox are still weighing whether to formally replace Anthony on the wild-card roster, a move that would keep him sidelined through this round and the next, if the Red Sox get there, under MLB rules.

The offense hasn’t given the club much to work with. The Red Sox scored an MLB-low 71 runs in September and managed just three hits in the Game 1 shutout loss. Anthony was supposed to be a big part of the fix, a leadoff presence capable of forcing the kind of at-bats Boston’s lineup lacked against velocity all year.

Now Jones leads off instead, a midseason trade acquisition who has handled left-handed pitching well, which explains Tracy’s willingness to trust him atop the order against Max Fried. Fried owns a 1.93 career ERA against Boston across seven starts and limited the Red Sox to one run in 11 2/3 innings this season.

Sonny Gray gives Boston a puncher’s chance on the mound, carrying an 18-5 record and 2.72 ERA into the elimination start.

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