Roman Anthony, the Boston Red Sox’s leadoff hitter and face of the franchise, is officially out for the entire Wild Card Series. This brutal news dropped after their 9-0 Game 1 loss to the New York Yankees in the Bronx on September 29, shedding light on a hand injury that was clearly more serious than anyone knew.
The Taped Hand and That Game 1 Exit
The story around Anthony’s right hand has been brewing, it turns out, for a minute. He first appeared to re-aggravate the injury in the final game of the regular season against the Rays. But get this: OTM’s Matt Gross pointed out footage from before Game 1 against the Yankees that shows Anthony’s hand was already heavily taped up. Seriously taped. That’s a massive clue right there that whatever happened in Tampa was way worse than the team let on initially. In hindsight, Gross suggests Anthony probably wouldn’t have even started Game 1 if it wasn’t a playoff game.
Think about that. Your leadoff hitter, the face of the franchise, playing through something that should have kept him on the bench. He ended up leaving Game 1 after two awkward strikeouts, struggling to get anything going. It’s wild because Anthony had been battling this hand issue the *whole time*, even coming back in late August and performing as the lineup’s top hitter during what the source calls an “otherwise sleepy stretch run” to end the season. He was grinding.
Out for the Series and Beyond
The official word came down September 30 at 4:20 PM: Anthony isn’t just out for Game 2, he’s out for the *entire series*. Ouch. Red Sox manager Chad Tracy shed some light on what went down in Game 1, saying Anthony “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 there.” Tracy added, “It’s difficult. You’ll get a zinger every once in a while where you feel something, it’s fine, it goes away … [Tuesday] some stuff happened that was more serious and was uncomfortable.”
Ian Browne confirmed the series-ending news, adding that the Red Sox have even petitioned the league for a roster replacement. If that gets approved, it means Anthony would also be out for the ALDS, should the Red Sox somehow advance.
The full picture came into focus when Anthony was driven back to Boston last night for imaging. Chris Cotillo reported the results: multiple new strains in his hand, plus a re-aggravation of the old injury. He’s out for the foreseeable future.
For Game 2, the lineup shuffle is significant. Jahmai Jones is stepping in to DH and lead off, while Nate Eaton takes over in left field. The full Red Sox lineup for Game 2 against the Yankees, without Roman Anthony, looks like this: DH Jahmai Jones, C Adley Rutschman, 1B Willson Contreras, RF Wilyer Abreu, CF Ceddan Rafaela, 3B Caleb Durbin, 2B Nick Sogard, SS Trevor Story, LF Nate Eaton, RHP Sonny Gray.
So, the Red Sox are already down 0-1 against their rivals, and now they’re facing a must-win Game 2 without their top hitter and the guy who’s supposed to be the future. Losing Roman Anthony for the series, and potentially longer, is a monumental blow. Can this cobbled-together lineup find a way to spark some offense against Sonny Gray and keep their postseason alive? Game 2 is everything now.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Over the Monster.
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