Is Something Wrong With Roman Anthony? Why He’s Out of Red Sox Lineup

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Why is Roman Anthony out of the Red Sox lineup? Here’s what to know about his absence and whether something is wrong with the Boston star.

Roman Anthony is out of the Boston Red Sox lineup, raising an immediate question about whether something is wrong with the young star.

Here’s why Anthony is out of the lineup and what his absence means for the Red Sox.

Anthony is out of the Boston Red Sox lineup Thursday against Cleveland, but the club has not attached any new injury news to the decision.

Thursday is Anthony’s first day off since he returned from the injured list. The Red Sox have just three regular-season games left to play after Thursday.

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Manager Chad Tracy had not yet explained the absence when the club posted the lineup ahead of his pregame media session.

The rest of the card shows how the night is built. Jarren Duran starts in left field, Mickey Gasper takes the designated hitter spot and Ceddanne Rafaela returns to center. Gasper bats right-handed, and Cleveland counters with right-hander Daniel Espino, according to MLB.com‘s lineup page. Left-hander Ranger Suarez (8-4, 3.27 ERA) starts for Boston.

Rafaela left Wednesday’s 1-0 win with right hamstring tightness and was set to undergo an MRI Thursday, according to the Boston Globe. Duran replaced Rafaela in the third inning and went 2-for-3, according to the Globe‘s recap. Willson Contreras sits again.

Gasper was among the players optioned to make room for Anthony’s return.

“It was bittersweet. Like, I really mean it,” Tracy said, as quoted by Yahoo Sports.

Boston has already clinched a playoff spot. Tuesday’s card benched Trevor Story, Duran and Contreras with no public explanation, according to NESN reporter Rodney Knuppel.

Boston Red Sox Playoff Plans for Roman Anthony

No report ties Thursday’s absence to the right ring finger that cost Anthony nearly four months. He left a May 4 game at Detroit with wrist and hand discomfort, later described as a partially torn ligament, according to NESN‘s injury timeline.

Rehab stalled. Anthony “hasn’t made any substantive progress,” Tracy said in a late-June update, as quoted by Boston.com.

The Red Sox shifted him to the 60-day list and sent him to Fort Myers. Even after 3 1/2 months, the club declined to circle a return date, according to the Boston Globe. He was finally activated on Aug. 30, according to NBC Sports.

He has hit .242/.294/.432 with four home runs in 22 games since activation. His return began 10-for-22 over five games, then cooled to .137/.214/.296 across 56 plate appearances through Sept. 18. That night at Tampa Bay he hit a 438-foot leadoff homer, according to CBS Sports. He went 0-for-5 Tuesday and 1-for-4 Wednesday, according to CBS Sports‘ game log.

Tracy has resisted singling out Anthony during cold stretches.

“It’s not a Roman thing,” he said in May, as quoted by The Boston Globe.

Anthony wants the October he missed in 2025 with an oblique injury, and he said he is “where I want to be,” as quoted by The Boston Globe. The AL wild-card series opens Tuesday.

Anthony remains active and available off the bench. Any appearance Thursday would likely come as a pinch hitter, a role for his left-handed bat late in the game.

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