Roman Anthony’s path back to the Red Sox is suddenly looking a lot less straightforward than fans might have hoped.
After a 2026 season that never really got off the ground, Boston is now staring at a murky rehab timeline for the 22-year-old outfielder, and Craig Breslow didn’t exactly offer the kind of certainty that would calm anyone down. The Red Sox chief baseball officer said Anthony is still headed for more evaluation before the club can even map out the next steps in full.
“(He’s) going to be evaluated in a couple of weeks and then likely starts a range of motion strengthening program and then eventually a hitting progression.”
That update comes after a brutal year for Anthony. His season was derailed on May 4, when he suffered a partially torn ligament in his right ring finger.
Boston initially said he would be limited to the minimum injured list stay, but he wound up missing almost four months. When he did return, the production still wasn’t where anyone wanted it to be.
Then came another gut punch in Game 1 of the Wild Card Round, when he re-aggravated the original injury and picked up new muscle strains.
For a player who was supposed to be the next great Boston Red Sox outfielder, it was a frustrating finish to a frustrating season.
And now the bigger concern is what happens next. According to MassLive’s Chris Smith, Breslow would not commit to Anthony being ready for Opening Day, even if the hope is still there that he’ll be in position for spring training. The problem is that the looming lockout complicates everything.
“At this point, we are just trying to make sure that he’s got a pretty good understanding of what the rehab is going to look like,” Breslow said. “Map it out and then make sure that, regardless of what situation we find ourselves in, he’s getting the medical care that he needs.”
That’s the reality Boston is dealing with now. Once the lockout starts, the Red Sox won’t be allowed to communicate with Anthony for any purpose. He’ll have the team’s plan in hand, but until a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is reached, the rehab process will be on him.
That’s a tough spot for a player the organization has already invested in heavily. Anthony was treated like a future franchise cornerstone and received the kind of long-term extension young players dream about. But with injuries now threatening to touch three straight years, Boston is facing a much harsher version of the story than it wanted.
Breslow did say he was hopeful Anthony could be ready for the start of spring training. But that optimism comes with a pretty clear warning label. The Red Sox were hopeful of minimal missed time when the finger injury first hit in 2026, and that didn’t come close to playing out.
So while Boston remains committed to Anthony, the latest update doesn’t exactly make the road ahead feel any smoother. Red Sox Nation can only wait and hope he finally gets healthy enough to become the player they’ve been promised.
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