The Boston Red Sox are set to get their young star outfielder back from injury. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reports that Roman Anthony and Trevor Story will both be activated from the injured list before their finale against the New York Yankees.
That’s good news for Anthony, who will take his first at-bats for the Red Sox in almost four months. He’s been out since May 5 after partially tearing the ligament in his right ring finger.
Anthony has only gotten into 30 contests this season. The 22-year-old is slashing .229/.354/.321 across 109 plate appearances for Boston. He’s in the first year of an eight-year, $130 million extension signed last August.
Story is returning from sports hernia surgery. The veteran shortstop has struggled with the bat this season, hitting just .206 with a .547 OPS. He went on the injured list on May 16, then underwent surgery to address the issue on May 22.
Red Sox to Activate Roman Anthony and Trevor Story from IL
The Red Sox will get back their starting left fielder and shortstop. Both players will have some protocol in their return to play, so they might not play every day coming back.
Both Roman Anthony and Trevor Story are on the 60-day injured list. The club has two open spots on the 40-man roster, so it’s just a matter of bumping two players off the active roster. The two likely candidates are Mickey Gasper and Anthony Seigler.
The Red Sox will have four weeks to try to finish out a rollercoaster of a season. The club didn’t look like a postseason contender after Anthony and Story went down with injuries. Through May 15, Boston was 18-26.
However, a lot transpired in their time away from the team. The Red Sox started stacking wins at the end of June. They’ve won 42 of 58 games and re-established themselves as a postseason contender.
Now, the job is for both Anthony and Story to remain two lineup cogs on a team that’s overcome their early-season slump at the plate. Additionally, utility infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa is expected to return from his injury when rosters expand to 28 players on September 1.
Red Sox vs. Yankees Finale Could Determine Rematch Site
The finale against the Yankees carries major stakes. After New York took two of the first three games at Yankee Stadium, the two teams are tied 6-6 in the season series. The winner of the final game between the two teams will have the tiebreaker for postseason seeding.
The Yankees and Red Sox are currently the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds in the American League postseason bracket, with three games separating the two teams. The finale could very well determine where their likely postseason rematch will take place.
If the Red Sox can take the season finale against their AL East rival, they would just need to close a two-game gap over the final four weeks of the season. If that’s the case, the rematch could be hosted at Fenway Park.
Red Sox Get Major Roman Anthony, Trevor Story News During Yankees Series