Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is officially done for the rest of the 2026 AL Wild Card series, and holy smokes, is this ever a gut punch for them right now. Pulled during their absolute blowout Game 1 loss to the New York Yankees, the guy’s been diagnosed with fresh damage to his wrist muscles, on top of aggravating that hand injury that’s been dogging him all season long.
The Ugly Truth About Anthony’s Wrist
Red Sox Manager Chad Tracy laid out the whole grim picture on Wednesday, and man, it sounds rough. Tracy said Anthony got sent back to Boston right after he left Tuesday night’s game for some extra imaging. And guess what? Those images didn’t just confirm the old issues; they “actually revealed some new strains to different muscles in his wrist in addition to exasperating the old injuries.” Ouch. Tracy summed it up perfectly himself: “It’s not great.”
This isn’t just some minor knock, either. Anthony is reportedly out “for the foreseeable future,” which means even if the Red Sox pull off a miracle and advance, he’s missing the Divisional Round. Remember that partial tear in the tendon connecting his right ring finger to his wrist? That happened way back on May 4 from a check-swing, and it sidelined him for a whopping 101 games. He only just got back on August 29. The dude just can’t catch a break, and it’s absolutely brutal timing in the postseason.
Game 1’s Disaster and Game 2’s Desperation
Anthony’s exit in Game 1 was pretty quiet, all things considered. He started at designated hitter, batting leadoff, but went 0-2 with two strikeouts. He got pinch-hit for in the top of the sixth by Andrew Monasterio, who also went 0-2 with a strikeout. Not exactly lighting the world on fire before the injury took him out for good.
Now, with Anthony officially out, Jahmai Jones is stepping into that DH and leadoff spot for Game 2. It’s a huge ask for Jones, stepping into a win-or-go-home situation. The Red Sox got absolutely clobbered in Game 1, a 9-0 beatdown by the Yankees. So, yeah, this is it for Boston. They either win Game 2 tonight to force a Game 3, or their season is OVER. Losing a 22-year-old outfielder who played in 55 games this season, slashing .245/.339/.396 with five homers and 15 RBI, right when you’re staring down elimination? That’s just beyond rough. They gotta find a way to pull it together without him tonight, or it’s packing up time.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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