NEW YORK — Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony left Game 1 of the American League wild card series against the New York Yankees in the fifth inning, and his availability for Game 2 is uncertain.
Anthony, the leadoff hitter, struck out to start the game, but whiffed again when he came up in the third; he was replaced by pinch hitter Andruw Monasterio in the top of the sixth inning.
Red Sox manager Chad Tracy revealed what led to the decision to remove Anthony, who had his hand wrapped during his at-bats, and said that this latest injury was different from the one that put him on the injured list earlier in the year.
"He took a check swing, and then another swing, and his hand flared on him, and it got uncomfortable, so we had to make a move
there. We’ll have to see what tomorrow brings."
"Nothing like this, no. He's obviously coming off that. Like, you'll get a stinger every once in a while where you feel something; it's fine, it goes away, but today it was obviously something to have him come out of the game. Today, some stuff happened that was more serious and was uncomfortable."
Anthony, 22, also missed three months of the 2026 season with a partial tendon tear in his right ring finger, and it was the same hand that caused him to exit the 9-0 Game 1 loss, which put Boston's season on the brink.
Anthony also missed last year's postseason with a left oblique strain. In two seasons with the Red Sox, Anthony has played in 126 games, with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs.
Yankees vs Red Sox schedule
- Game 1: Tuesday, Sept. 29 – Yankees 9, Red Sox 0
- Game 2: Wednesday – 8 p.m. – buy tickets, NBC & Peacock
- Game 3*: Thursday – 8 p.m. – buy tickets, NBC & Peacock
.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Roman Anthony injury update as Red Sox lose leadoff hitter vs Yankees
