Jason Burgos
The Boston Red Sox are in the thick of the American League East title hunt with just a few weeks left in the season. However, those chances were severely damaged Wednesday following an injury update on Roman Anthony.
“There is a ‘high probability’ Boston will put Anthony on the 10-day IL and recall utility man Nick Sogard from the WooSox before Wednesday’s game against Cleveland,” MassLive reports. “The team is awaiting the results of Anthony’s MRI as of early Wednesday afternoon.”
After swinging and missing on a pitch in the fourth inning, the elite prospect grabbed at his side in pain. The outfielder was escorted to the dugout by medical staff and didn’t return to the Red Sox’s 11-7 win against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night. He was originally diagnosed with oblique tightness.
- Roman Anthony stats (Baseball Reference): .292 AVG, .396 OBP, .463 SLG, .859 OPS, 8 HR, 32 RBI, 48 R
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Oblique injuries are very tricky. Like a quadricep, it is one of the larger muscles on the body, which means it can take a long time to heal. A mild strain is likely to sideline Anthony for two to three weeks. A moderate strain would force him out for at least a month. While a severe strain could require season-ending surgery.
Roman Anthony’s injury comes at a terrible time for Boston. They have played well over the last two months, climbing the Green Monster to a 35-18 record since July 1, and have thrust themselves into the Wild Card chase with their hated rival New York Yankees. However, a recent slump by the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays has also opened the door to potentially winning the AL East and would mean getting home-field advantage in their first series, as well as avoiding the always dangerous winner-take-all Wild Card game.
While they are just 2.5 games out of first and have the talent to pressure the Jays, Anthony’s absence from the lineup will make it very difficult to overcome both Toronto and a hot New York Yankees team over the final weeks. The surge has put them clear of competition behind them; they are six games up on the first team just outside the AL Wild Card picture, the Texas Rangers.
The rookie is hitting .292 with an .859 OPS and eight home runs. His impressive start to his MLB career after being the franchise’s top prospect landed him a huge eight-year, $130 million extension.
