Roman Anthony injury update: Do Red Sox have a chance without young star?

Boston Red Sox fans entered Game 1 of the Wild Card Series on Tuesday night with cautious optimism. They hoped to avenge last year's crushing loss against Massachusetts native Cam Schlittler by beating him up this time around, with their ace, Payton Tolle, on the mound, and their star outfielder, Roman Anthony, in the leadoff spot.

Well, Tolle was fine, but Schlittler was dominant, the New York Yankees won convincingly, and, as if that wasn't bad enough, Anthony left the game in the sixth inning for a pinch-hitter. So to sum up, the Red Sox are down in this best-of-three series one game to none, and could be without their young star with their season on the line on Wednesday. Not great!

Roman Anthony injury update brings worst case of deja vu to Red Sox fans

Anthony missed more than three months on the Injured List with a right wrist injury. The Red Sox were able to rebound following an atrocious start without him, somehow, but obviously missed him dearly when he was out. Sure enough, the injury Anthony suffered on Tuesday was an aggravation of the ailment that kept him out for roughly half the year, according to manager Chad Tracy.

When asked whether Anthony will play on Wednesday, all he said was, "We'll have to see what tomorrow brings." That does not sound encouraging for a Red Sox team whose season is officially on the line.

As frustrating as this injury is, it's a bit less shocking that it occurred, knowing that he appeared to have tweaked it on an awkward swing in Sunday's game. What's particularly irritating is that Sunday's game was completely meaningless for both Boston and the Cubs, their opponent. Anthony did not have to play, but did, and might've ended his season in the process.

He might play, but Anthony struck out in each of his first two at-bats of Tuesday's game, and who knows if he's close to healthy. This is not good news for Boston, and neither is their projected lineup for Game 2 without him.

Projected Red Sox lineup without Roman Anthony shows they're in trouble

There's some talent here. Jahmai Jones has crushed left-handed pitching since arriving with the Red Sox, so perhaps he can set the tone in Anthony's place against left-hander Max Fried on Wednesday. Guys like Adley Rutschman, Willson Contreras, Wilyer Abreu and even Ceddanne Rafaela are capable of doing damage at all times. Hey, even Trevor Story doubled on Tuesday for Boston's only extra-base hit.

With that being said, though, the Red Sox looked rather punchless at the plate all of Tuesday's game. I know Schlittler started it, but one extra-base hit in a playoff game is pretty pathetic. That was with Anthony playing in half the contest. Can the Red Sox score runs against Fried, who is also elite, by the way, without Anthony? It's hard to believe that, especially with how this offense has looked in September.

Red Sox season feels finished after Game 1 gut punch

It'd be foolish to count out any postseason team, especially one like the Red Sox, who went on a 32-5 run this season. They've proven they can bounce back from adversity, and if they can just find a way to win Game 2, suddenly they'd be one win away from eliminating the Yankees and advancing to the ALDS.

Still, only one team has won Game 1 of a Wild Card Series and gone on to lose that best-of-three affair since MLB made the permanent switch to that format in 2022. That team? The Boston Red Sox, who blew a 1-0 series lead to these Yankees in the Bronx. The circumstances were different, though. The Yankees were the home team, they still had Aaron Judge healthy, and they didn't lose 9-0 the night before.

I don't want to count Boston out, but even getting to Game 3 has been challenging for teams that drop Game 1 of the Wild Card series. The Red Sox have their work cut out for them, especially if Anthony has to miss time and/or is at all compromised due to his wrist injury, which, at this point, feels likely.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow