Roman Anthony injury: Red Sox OF to undergo MRI Wednesday after exiting game with oblique tightness
"It sucks. I'm hoping for the best and staying positive."
An already banged-up Red Sox outfield received even more bad news on Tuesday night.
Red Sox star rookie Roman Anthony exited Boston’s home matchup against the Cleveland Guardians in the top of the fifth inning after tweaking something in his side.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Anthony whiffed on a curveball from Cleveland starter Slade Cecconi — striking out on the breaking pitch off of a swift hack at the plate.
The 21-year-old Red Sox phenom immediately reached for his lower back and left side as he made his way back to Boston’s dugout. He eventually went down the tunnel and back into the clubhouse.
Anthony was immediately replaced by Nate Eaton, who took over as the Red Sox’s right fielder in the top of the fifth inning. Boston announced in the top of the seventh inning that Anthony was removed from the game due to “left oblique tightness.”
Speaking after Boston’s eventual 11-7 win over Cleveland, Alex Cora noted that the team did not have an official update on Anthony’s health — adding that he will undergo an MRI on Wednesday morning.
This is not the first time that Anthony has been plagued by back and other muscle ailments this season with Boston.
He missed two games in early August with what the team described as mid-back tightness, but avoided an extended stint on the injured list.
Speaking after the win, Anthony said that this recent injury was more severe than the back issues that hindered him last month.
“This is definitely worse in terms of the way it feels. But you know, that’s right now,” Anthony said of his injury, which he said first sprouted up on a check swing just before his strikeout. “And just again, have to re-evaluate where I’m at tomorrow and see where we are with when the MRI comes back.”
Losing Anthony for any extended stretch would be disastrous for Boston as the club looks to punch its ticket to the postseason for the first time since 2021.
Entering Tuesday’s game against Cleveland, Anthony was batting .292 with eight home runs and 32 RBI over his first 71 games in the big leagues.
He was 1-for-3 at the plate during Tuesday’s game against Cleveland with an RBI single in the bottom of the second inning. Since Anthony was called up by the Red Sox on June 9, Boston sports the second-best record in baseball at 45-27.
Anthony did not want to make any declarative statements about the possibility of an IL stint before the MRI results come back.
“I don’t know. I wish I knew,” Anthony said. “I haven’t dealt with something like this before, so I’d be lying if I said I knew. … Yeah, it sucks. I’m hoping for the best and staying positive, but anytime I’m not out there, I’m pretty pissed off. It sucks.”
As the Red Sox await word on Anthony’s health, Boston is already trudging forward without starting right fielder Wilyer Abreu, who has not played since August 17 due to a right calf strain.
While Cora and the Red Sox noted at the time of Abreu’s injury that he wasn’t expected to spend a significant amount of time on the shelf, Abreu has not made any significant improvement over the last few weeks.
“He’s not running today, either,” Cora said of Abreu ahead of Tuesday’s game. “Just progressing but slowly. Not the way we envisioned when the injury happened. So we just have to be patient. It’s not a setback. It’s just like it’s not getting better.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com