Anthony's status uncertain with right hand/wrist discomfort

NEW YORK -- A bad Tuesday night got worse for the Red Sox when Roman Anthony had to exit his team’s eventual 9-0 loss to the Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series with discomfort in the same right hand/wrist that kept him out of action from May 5-Aug. 29.

His availability for the remainder of the series was unclear when the game ended. Anthony struck out in both of his at-bats against Cam Schlittler, as he was unable to check his swing.

“He took a check-swing and then another swing and his hand flared on him,” said Red Sox manager Chad Tracy. “And it got uncomfortable, so we had to make a move there.”

In the top of the sixth inning, Andruw Monasterio pinch-hit for Anthony, who was in the DH slot.

Will Anthony need imaging?

“We're still talking through it,” said Tracy. “The game just ended, but it's difficult. Obviously it flared up on him and became uncomfortable, and you have to make a move there. So we'll see what the next steps are, but yeah, it was difficult.”

Anthony, who missed the playoffs last year with a left oblique strain, had a short-lived postseason debut on Tuesday.

Is it a stretch to think he will be able to return for Wednesday’s Game 2, in which the Red Sox will be trying to stave off elimination?

“It's hard to say right now,” said Tracy. “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.”

Had Anthony dealt with anything like this since coming off the injured list a month ago?

“Nothing like this, no,” said Tracy. “He's obviously coming off that [injury]; you'll get a zinger every once in a while where you feel something, it's fine, it goes away. But today, coming out of the game, some stuff happened that was more serious and was uncomfortable.”

Anthony suffered his initial injury on a check-swing foul ball in Detroit on May 4. He had a partially torn tendon in a joint that connects his right ring finger to his wrist.

The 22-year-old left-handed hitter has had mixed results since returning to action, slashing .262/.321/.476 with four homers and 10 RBIs in his final 103 regular-season at-bats.

Injuries to key players has been a storyline for the Red Sox all season.

“Yeah, obviously you never want that,” said Red Sox third baseman Caleb Durbin. “Roman's a big part of this team. That goes without saying. At this point of the year, it’s next man up. Obviously we want him in there, but throughout the whole year we’ve had guys step up. Now is going to be no different.”