The Red Sox are in the kind of September where every swing can tilt the season. They’ve already stumbled to a 1-2 start, and the margin for error is shrinking fast: Boston sits 4.5 games behind the New York Yankees for the top AL Wild Card spot and 5.5 games ahead of the third and final Wild Card position.
That’s the backdrop for why Roman Anthony looms so large right now.
CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa pointed to the outfielder as one of the key figures in Boston’s push, and it’s easy to see why. Anthony missed most of the 2026 season to this point, but he’s back in the mix now, and the Red Sox may need his bat to carry serious weight down the stretch.
"It's perhaps not fair to put so much on a 22-year-old yet to play 110 MLB games, let alone 162, but Anthony is supremely talented and one of the brightest young hitters in the game," Axisa writes. "He'll be counted on to drive the Red Sox offense the rest of the way."
Boston has already gotten meaningful production from players like Willson Contreras, Mickey Gasper recently, Wilyer Abreu, and others. But Anthony brings a different kind of ceiling. His upside at the plate is the sort that can change the shape of an entire lineup.
And he’s wasting no time showing it.
In five games since returning from injury, Anthony has put up eye-catching numbers in 22 at-bats: five runs scored, 10 hits, two doubles, one triple, two homers, two RBIs, two walks, a .455 batting average and a 1.409 OPS.
That surge comes after a long absence that kept him out for most of May and all of June, July, and most of August. Now that he’s back, he looks like exactly the kind of hitter Boston needs if this late-season push is going to turn into something bigger.
The Red Sox have already managed to get this far without him. With him, the conversation changes. Anthony has the kind of offensive upside that could be the difference between a quick postseason exit and a run that lasts much longer.
In Other News...
Red Sox Deadline Trade Had An Alternate Path That Changes It
Craig Breslow checked off several goals at the deadline, and one of the more interesting moves came when the Red Sox sent Connelly Early to Washington in the deal for Curtis Mead. Early had become enough of a name around the league that he drew interest from more than one club, with the Cubs reportedly in the mix before they went in another direction and landed different pitchers instead. For Boston, the trade fit the larger plan of reshaping the roster while addressing multiple needs at once.
Early still has not made his Nationals debut, as he remains on the injured list with elbow inflammation. Washington expects to begin his rehab assignment in early September, which only adds another layer to a deal that might have looked very different depending on how the deadline board broke for the Red Sox and everyone chasing starting pitching. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Roster Crunch Leaves Hot Bat Stuck In Limbo
Isiah Kiner-Falefas return from injury rehab has brought an unexpected roster wrinkle for the Red Sox, one that says as much about their depth as it does about his value. He chose to delay his activation until Sept. 1 so he would not force the club to bump someone off the roster, and Boston still decided his versatility and clubhouse presence made him the better fit to bring back now.
That leaves Kristian Campbell in a frustrating spot after a strong recent stretch at the plate. The Red Sox have a crowded outfield, which makes his path to the active roster difficult even with the bat coming around, but the way he finishes could still matter beyond this season, whether as trade value or as useful depth heading into the offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Adley Rutschman Just Showed Boston Why This Gamble Was Worth It
Adley Rutschmans first night back at Camden Yards as a visiting player gave the Red Sox an immediate reminder of why they wanted him in the middle of their lineup. The former Orioles catcher, now part of a seven-player deal that sent him to Boston, homered twice in his first three at-bats and did it in the kind of setting that tends to sharpen every storyline attached to a trade of that size.
The move brought more than just Rutschman to Boston, with Jake Rogers also heading to the Red Sox and four prospects going back to Baltimore, but the spotlight is always going to find the biggest name in a swap like this. For Boston, the early payoff is obvious. For Baltimore, the trade tree is just getting started, and nights like this only deepen the feeling that both clubs may be judging the deal from very different timelines. [Read more 🡒]