BOSTON -- Roman Anthony’s absence from the Red Sox has been felt for a lineup that entered Saturday 29th in the Majors in runs. The dynamic 22-year-old, who had an .859 OPS in 303 plate appearances in his rookie season, was projected to be one of his team’s most productive players in ‘26.
When will that absence – which started when he suffered a partially torn ligament near the base of his right ring finger on May 4 in Detroit – come to an end?
Anthony wishes he had the answer to that. The first thing he will need to be given is clearance to swing the bat regularly, from flips to tee work and eventually batting practice.
The left-handed hitter started a swing program in late May, but it was short-circuited when he felt discomfort on the follow-through while doing tee work on May 28. At this point, it’s a matter of when he can be asymptomatic when he swings.
“It’s progressing a lot slower than I had imagined in the beginning of this, but definitely progressing,” said Anthony. “It's just pain. That's what it was. Until it's not that, I'll be here [rehabbing]. But as soon as it feels like it starts to get a whole lot better, I'm sure we'll have a better idea of where we're at and how it's going to go from there.”
Timelines are tough with this type of injury.
“I think it's anywhere from six to eight weeks, but again, there's been a million different cases of a million different people taking six weeks, eight weeks, 10 weeks, whatever it is,” said Anthony. “Everyone heals differently. So my best guess, it would be somewhere around that point, but again, we haven't really talked much about it.”
Monday will be exactly six weeks after he suffered the injury on a check-swing foul ball in Detroit.
Anthony thinks he could get further imaging soon to see how the injury is progressing.
“The general timetable for this was -- we're approaching it,” Anthony said. “So I think as we approach that and as we get to that day when this is kind of a common time period for this injury, then I think that's when we'll address it and say, OK, let's check in on it and see where we're at, see how it's healed, see how it's gone. But I think up to this point, it hasn't been expected to be fully healed yet, so there hasn't been any imaging.”
For Anthony, the one positive is that he’s been able to stay in good shape in that he can do everything but swing.
“I think any day you're on the IL is a frustrating day, but for me, I think it's been getting in there,” Anthony said. “I’m getting reps, seeing live arms, going in there, seeing [and tracking pitches from the] Trajekt machine, looking at machines, different things like that, keeping the eyes moving, doing what I can out there, and taking defensive reps, being a good teammate in the dugout and in the clubhouse.
“I think that's the biggest thing. It sucks when the team's on the road. I feel like they're gone forever when they're on the road, but when they're home, it's about being here, being with the guys, and being the best teammate that I can be, and helping guys get better from where I'm at. Just continuing to get better, myself, every day.”
He is taking dry, light swings to gauge where he is at.
“Obviously, it's not agonizing [to try] swinging at this point, but it's enough pain to where we're not doing more than the amount that we're doing,” Anthony said. “And again, I'm not really swinging to kind of move forward. It's more to see how it compared to how it was in the days prior.”
The day Anthony is all better will be a good day for the Red Sox. In the meantime, he will keep taking baby steps until the time comes he can take the big step needed to get back in the lineup.