Roman Anthony’s 2026 season ended the way nobody in Boston wanted it to: with the Red Sox outfielder off the playoff roster after a right hand strain in Game 1 against the Yankees.
Now the focus has shifted from the pain of that moment to what comes next. On Monday, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Anthony has already gone through “a bunch of follow-up appointments” and, as things stand, surgery does not appear to be part of the plan.
“We're still collecting information, still working through what the kind of right course of treatment is,” Breslow said. “At this point, it doesn't seem that there's any type of surgical intervention [necessary]. Rest is likely the best path to recovery.”
Anthony’s hand problems were not new. He missed more than 100 games during the regular season because of a hand issue, and he said afterward that the hand was not “fully 100 percent” after the original injury. He managed to play through discomfort when he came back, but by Game 1 in New York, the problem had gotten severe enough that he was struggling to even grip his bat.
Breslow also addressed the thinking behind the club’s decision to let Anthony return to action even with the occasional “zinger” still in the picture. The Red Sox, he said, were trying to balance Anthony’s urge to get back on the field with the need to handle the injury the right way.
“We wanted to balance Roman's desire to get on the field and compete and his ability to help us win games with making sure that we were doing the medically responsible thing and not trying to put him in any greater danger,” Breslow said. “Obviously, there was some new injury that popped up in the postseason.
“From the standpoint of, did we have a pretty good understanding of what we thought was going on? Was there kind of alignment and everyone on board with the plan? The answer is yes.”
Anthony is now aiming to move past a frustrating year and get himself ready for the 2027 campaign. Breslow’s update suggests the recovery path is pointing toward rest, not a trip to the operating table.
In Other News...
Red Sox 2027 Lineup Suddenly Looks Dangerous For One Big Reason
The Red Sox have spent the last stretch reshaping their offensive future, and the picture for 2027 is starting to look a lot different. A wave of additions that includes Adley Rutschman, Curtis Mead, Caleb Durbin, Willson Contreras and Franklin Arias has given Boston more depth, more versatility and a much stronger core than it had before those moves.
Rutschman, acquired from the Orioles, comes with one more season of team control, while Mead and Durbin give the Red Sox longer-term pieces to build around. Even with that newfound balance, the lineup still feels like it could use one more thump, especially in the designated hitter spot, if Boston really wants to push itself into title territory in 2027. [Read more 🡒]
Sonny Gray's Frustration Puts Red Sox Trust Question Back In Focus
Sonny Grays comments after the Red Soxs postseason loss to the Yankees added a familiar layer of tension to an already painful ending. Gray was frustrated about being pulled after 4.2 innings in Game 2, and the issue quickly shifted from one October decision to a broader question about how much trust sits between a starter and the people making the calls behind him.
At his end-of-season press conference, manager Chad Tracy tried to cool things down, saying he understands Grays feelings and that their working relationship is solid. Tracy also said the hook came down to several moving parts, including matchups and bullpen availability, which is the kind of explanation teams often give when the game plan has to bend under postseason pressure. Still, whenever a pitcher voices displeasure that plainly, it tends to linger well beyond one outing. [Read more 🡒]
Roman Anthony Injury Update Gives Red Sox Relief For Now
Roman Anthonys wrist sent a familiar scare through the Red Sox during the wild-card series, when new muscle strains and aggravation of previous injuries forced him out of the game. For a player who already missed significant time in the 2026 season because of a partially torn ligament, any fresh setback naturally raises alarm, but the early word out of the organization brought some immediate relief.
Craig Breslow said surgery is not currently expected, with rest viewed as the preferred treatment for now. Anthony is expected to have time to recover before the 2027 season, which at least gives Boston a measure of calm after a tense postseason moment, even if the club will be watching closely to see how the wrist responds in the days ahead. [Read more 🡒]