The Boston Red Sox are still hopeful that they’ll be getting reinforcements back for this series against the New York Yankees. In particular, outfielder Roman Anthony and shortstop Trevor Story are continuing to progress in their rehab assignments in Triple-A Worcester.
The pair have often been tied together. That even includes reports that they both wanted to get more at-bats, which is why they’re at Triple-A on Thursday. However, Anthony recently made it clear that despite the similarities in their rehab, he’s on a different timeline from Story.
“Roman Anthony also made it clear that his rehab assignment (and impending call up to rejoin the Red Sox) is not clumped together with Trevor Story,” Tommy Cassell of Worcester T&G Sports reported. “Could be different timelines.”
The Red Sox would love to be at full strength for their series in The Bronx. It’s a four-game series with a double-header on Saturday. Going into play on Thursday, which the Red Sox have off while the Yankees have a game against the Houston Astros, New York has a 2.5-game lead in the Wild Card on Boston.
It’s Been a Long Time Coming for Boston Red Sox OF Roman Anthony
Coming into the season, Roman Anthony was expected to be the cornerstone of the Boston Red Sox lineup. That never really happened before he suffered a finger injury while swinging a bat, and that injury has kept him out of the lineup since May 4th.
Initially, the injury was described as a minor one. However, Anthony would eventually come out and share that it was more severe than initially thought. In the process, he contradicted Red Sox ownership on the exact nature of the injury.
Dr. Mark Cohen, an orthopedist, would emphasize how strange Anthony’s injury was. He suffered a partial tear of a ligament in his right ring finger, or the CMC joint. That’s something Dr. Cohen hadn’t seen in 32 years.
“I’ve been doing this 32 years. I actually have never heard of a ring finger-isolated CMC ligament tear,” Cohen said. “The joints in which the ligaments get injured are usually not the CMC level … They’re at the knuckle or joints within the fingers. If you look up ring finger ligament sprain, you’ll find nothing — zero — because it’s not a common injury.”
Amid all the setbacks, the Red Sox eventually sent Anthony to their Spring Training facility in Florida. That sparked rumors that it was a kind of punishment, which Red Sox CBO Craig Breslow recently had to push back on.
Regardless, there has been a lot of frustration for Red Sox fans as it relates to Anthony. That’s something that could change quickly if he hits the ground running in his return.
Red Sox SS Trevor Story Has Struggled in His Rehab
The Boston Red Sox have been without Trevor Story since May 14th, when he needed to go on the IL after having Sports Hernia Surgery. Now, he’s looking to finally get back to the Red Sox.
Unfortunately, it’s been a bit of a struggle for Story in Worcester. Going into play on Thursday, Story was just 4 for 29 at the plate, with 10 strikeouts and 1 walk. Despite that, he also insisted that he was feeling well at the plate.
“Overall, feeling really good… I’m on [time with] the barrel, just a touch off [on squaring pitches]. [It’s] to be expected,” Story said on Tuesday. “I think more than the results, it’s more about how I’m feeling and kind of dictating the at-bat. And I’m in a good spot there. So, next day or two, hit some barrels and feel good about [returning].”
Triple-A struggles don’t inherently mean that Story will struggle when he makes the transition back to MLB. At the same time, they’re making the decision on when to bring Story up more difficult for the Red Sox.
Red Sox OF Roman Anthony Shares Key Detail on Rehab Compared to Trevor Story