Roman Anthony’s postseason ended after two uneasy trips to the plate in the Red Sox’s Wild Card Series opener against the Yankees, with renewed trouble in his right hand and wrist forcing Boston to remove the 22-year-old outfielder from its roster.
Anthony struck out twice against Yankees starter Cam Schlittler on Tuesday night, unable to hold up on swings that put fresh stress on the injured area. He left the game after the discomfort returned.
Manager Chad Tracy said Anthony felt the issue while trying to check a swing, then aggravated it again on the next cut.
“His hand flared up on a checked swing and then another swing,” Tracy said. “It became uncomfortable, and we had to make the move.”
Imaging confirms fresh setback
Anthony returned to Boston by car following Game 1 for imaging, which revealed new strains in the hand along with a recurrence of the earlier injury.
The original setback came May 4 in Detroit, when Anthony fouled off a check swing. He was diagnosed with a partial tear to the tendon around the joint linking his right ring finger and wrist.
Boston will choose between Anthony Seigler and Curtis Mead to fill the open Wild Card Series roster spot, Tracy said.
A difficult finish after returning
The left-handed Anthony had not fully found a steady offensive rhythm after getting back into the lineup. Over his final 103 regular-season at-bats, he batted .262 with a .321 on-base percentage and a .476 slugging percentage, producing four home runs and 10 RBIs.
The Red Sox now head into Game 2 without him, facing the Yankees with the series continuing Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
