The Boston Red Sox are staring down elimination in their AL Wild Card Series, and they’re doing it without Roman Anthony, who was pulled from the Game 2 lineup Wednesday night due to hand pain. This isn’t just some new ache either; this is the same hand that kept the 22-year-old off the field for a whopping 101 games earlier this season, from May 5 to August 29. Talk about a brutal comeback.
A Playoff Debut Cut Short and a Familiar Ache
Talk about a rough playoff debut. Anthony, batting leadoff as the designated hitter in Game 1 Tuesday, whiffed twice against Cam Schlittler. He was pulled for a pinch hitter in the sixth, with the team already down by two runs in what turned into a 9-0 shutout loss. Red Sox manager Chad Tracy confirmed the discomfort stemmed from a couple of checked swings. Tracy was pretty candid about it too, saying, “He’s obviously coming off that. You’ll get a zinger every once in a while where you feel something , it’s fine, it goes away. Today some stuff happened that was more serious and was uncomfortable.” That last part? That’s the kicker, isn’t it? “More serious and was uncomfortable” when your season is on the line.
Facing Elimination, Without Their Prospect
So, with the Red Sox one loss away from packing up for good, Jahmai Jones stepped in to hit leadoff as the DH for Game 2. The rest of the lineup saw Adley Rutschman at catcher, Willson Contreras at first base, Wilyer Abreu in right field, Ceddanne Rafaela in center field, Caleb Durbin at third base, Nick Sogard at second base, Trevor Story at shortstop, and Nate Eaton in left field. Sonny Gray was on the bump for Boston, facing off against one of his old teams. Anthony, a premier prospect when he debuted last year, ended up playing just 55 games this season, hitting .245 with five home runs, 15 RBIs, and a .735 OPS. For a guy with that kind of prospect shine, the numbers and the injury history are a tough pill to swallow, especially right now.
Now, it all comes down to Game 2. The Red Sox are fighting to stay alive, and they’ve got to do it with their young star prospect watching from the sidelines. Will Gray deliver and push them to a deciding Game 3, or is this the end of the road for Boston? Every pitch from here on out is everything.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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