PITTSBURGH – Red Sox outfielder/designated hitter Roman Anthony is making significant enough progress with his hitting program in Fort Myers, Fla., that he appears to be closing in on a Minor Leaguer rehab assignment.
While Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said it won’t be as early as this weekend, it’s not hard to imagine Anthony joining an affiliate by next week.
“I wouldn't think so, but we are getting closer,” Tracy said when asked about this weekend. “[But] we are getting closer. I won't put a timetable on that, because we have to continue to see how he feels and does with this throughout the week as we increase and add in the extra steps. And then we'll see where he's at when we get to the end of this series, and we'll see where he's at.”
The Red Sox open a homestand at Fenway Park on Monday against the Diamondbacks. Tracy said that Anthony coming back to Boston before starting a rehab assignment isn’t a necessity.
“He’s got a real good setup there in Fort Myers right now,” Tracy said. “He's got everything he needs, and then we'll see how he does over the weekend and go from there."
Anthony last played for Boston on May 4, when he suffered a partially torn tendon in the joint that connects to his right ring finger.
For a couple of months, he plateaued in his recovery because swinging continued to cause discomfort in his wrist. But a couple of weeks ago, Anthony improved to the point he was able to reinitiate a hitting program. All along, he has been doing all other baseball drills such as running and fielding.
In recent days, Anthony has been hitting off the Trajekt machine, which can simulate the velocity and pitch shape of any Major League pitcher.
“He is continuing Trajekt. Everything's going well so far, we're creeping closer,” Tracy said. “So he just continues to ramp up all of his normal work and ramp up the Trajekt work. I think last I saw, he’s incorporating breaking balls and mixed pitches off Trajekt. So we're doing well.”
Anthony could have company during his rehab assignment. Shortstop Trevor Story, who hasn’t played in three months due to undergoing sports hernia surgery, is also making strong progress while working out in Boston.
“Same thing he's been doing, but increasing [volume],” Tracy said. “Continues to increase, ramp up, with more intensity and more volume of baseball activity. So he's another one that's getting closer. He’s doing everything and feeling much better. So a lot of it with him was the lateral mobility baseball component, which he's been able to do. So everything's going well there as well.”