Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony missed over 100 games this year recovering from a right finger injury and torn ligament suffered back in May. It was a huge loss at the time for Boston, but even without him they managed to turn their season around and play like one of the best teams in the league.
Anthony has slowly started to find his groove at the plate. Across 22 games the 22-year-old has posted a .242 batting average, .294 on-base percentage, .726 OPS, four home runs and 10 RBIs. He has not quite reached the heights he did in 2025, but it has been an unorthodox season.
The good news is he will be available for the MLB playoffs this year, unlike a year ago when a left oblique strain kept him out.
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Injuries have been a clear problem for Anthony throughout his first two seasons in the big leagues, which is why concern grows whenever he is not present in the starting lineup.
For Thursday’s matchup with the Cleveland Guardians he was not included, with Jarren Duran taking over in left field in his place.
His absence was surprising considering Cleveland was sending out right-hander Daniel Espino, which gave Anthony the platoon advantage.
Fortunately, he is not dealing with anything injury-related. “Just a scheduled day off for Roman Anthony today,” reported Christopher Smith of MassLive.
For Anthony, being at full strength for the playoffs is what matters most, and the final four games for the Red Sox do not carry much significance. They are essentially locked into the fifth seed in the American League and will travel to Yankee Stadium to face their rivals for a second straight year.
The difference this time is that Anthony will be around. He should also still be available off the bench if manager Chad Tracy needs a pinch hitter Thursday.
