Roman Anthony is out of the Boston Red Sox’s lineup for Wednesday’s Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees because of a right hand injury, the team announced. The 22-year-old aggravated the same hand that cost him 101 games earlier this season during Tuesday’s series-opening loss.
Anthony batted leadoff and struck out twice against Yankees starter Cam Schlittler before being lifted for pinch hitter Andruw Monasterio in the sixth inning, per the Associated Press. New York went on to win 9-0 and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
What the Red Sox said
Manager Chad Tracy said Anthony’s hand “flared on him” after a pair of checked swings, according to MassLive. Anthony had dealt with occasional flare-ups since returning from the injury in late August, but Tuesday’s episode was more serious.
“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,” Tracy said. “Today some stuff happened that was more serious and was uncomfortable.”
Tracy would not commit to a timeline hours before Game 2. “It’s hard to say right now,” he said, according to FOX Sports. “It’s one of those things where he obviously was in a lot of discomfort.
So we had to remove him. We’ll have to see what tomorrow brings.” Anthony remains on the Wild Card Series roster for now, per CBS Sports, but begins Wednesday on the bench.
Who replaces him
With Anthony out of the lineup, Nate Eaton is playing left field and Jahmai Jones has taken over as designated hitter and leadoff man for Game 2, according to CBS Sports. If Boston ultimately needs to remove Anthony from the roster, outfielder Braiden Ward is with the team as a possible replacement, though activating him would require a 40-man roster move, per MassLive. Curtis Mead and Anthony Seigler are also with the club but remain on the injured list, while Romy Gonzalez is in Boston’s stay-ready group in Fort Myers dealing with a hyperextended elbow.
Season context
Anthony originally suffered the hand injury — a torn ligament under his right ring finger — and missed 101 games from May 5 through Aug. 29, per MassLive. He returned Aug. 30 and hit .262 with four home runs, 10 RBIs and a .797 OPS over his final 25 regular-season games. For the full season he batted .245 with five home runs, 15 RBIs and a .735 OPS in 55 games, numbers that still trailed the lofty expectations that came with his arrival as one of baseball’s top prospects.
What’s next
The Red Sox must beat the Yankees on Wednesday night to keep their season alive. Game 3 of the Wild Card Series, if necessary, would be Thursday.
Reporting from The Associated Press, CBS Sports, FOX Sports and Masslive contributed to this story.
