The Red Sox miss Roman Anthony’s bat in the lineup. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out, nor do you even have to look at the numbers, but here they are anyway: Since losing Anthony to an oblique injury 10 games ago, the Red Sox sit at 4-6 with a .296 OBP (23rd in all of baseball), along with the third-worst walk rate in the game. The Sox have scored one run in a game three times since losing Anthony, which is as many times as they scored only one run in their previous 40 contests. (Alex Speier,
Boston Globe)
But Anthony’s absence doesn’t change the goal for Alex Cora: the team needs to make the playoffs. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
So let’s see if another rookie can step up in Anthony’s absence. Connelly Early will make his second MLB start tonight against the A’s the same team he dazzled in his debut last week. Connelly, who began his collegiate career at West Point, talked about how that experience has shaped him as a professional baseball player. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)
After Early’s start tonight, the Red Sox will then skip Payton Tolle’s turn in the rotation in order to give more innings to Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello, and Lucas Giolito. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
All of this rotation maneuvering down the stretch points to one, glaring truth: the 2025 Boston Red Sox are one pitcher short. Well, they’re actually a couple of pitchers short (you absolutely cannot have too much pitching), but it’s actually kind of shocking how much differently we’d be feeling if the Sox had just one more dependable, league-average starter in the rotation. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)
So which players on the Sox roster need to step up most of all for the final fortnight of the season? Here’s one writer’s take. (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)
And, finally, if you were wondering whether the era of Red Sox documentaries was nearing it’s end, it’s not. ESPN will have another one coming out later this month, this one produced by Ben Affleck. (Khari A. Thompson, Boston.com)
