Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony left Tuesday's Wild Card Series opener against the New York Yankees early with injury. After the game, which the Red Sox lost, 9-0, the team revealed Anthony re-aggravated his right hand — which kept him on the injured list for several months during the regular season — on a check swing. Andruw Monasterio came into the game to bat for Anthony in the sixth inning.
Prior to his exit, Anthony went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts. Anthony, 22, was the No. 1 prospect in baseball last season and entered 2026 prepared for his first full season in the big leagues, but a wrist injury kept him on the sidelines for the majority of the year. He initially injured himself at the beginning of May, tearing a ligament in his wrist on a check swing, and didn't return to the Red Sox until the end of August.
He played just 55 games over the course of the season, hitting five homers while tallying 15 RBIs with a .735 OPS. Anthony got off to a slow start in MLB in 2025, but looked to be the star everyone expected him to turn into by the end of the year. In 71 games last season, Anthony hit eight homers and drove in 32 runs, posting a .859 OPS while placing third in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind Athletics rookie duo Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson.
Anthony started as the Red Sox's designated hitter on Tuesday, meaning the outfield will likely look the same if he misses any time. In Tuesday's game, Jarren Duran started in left field, Ceddanne Rafaela started in center and Wilyer Abreu started in right field. If Anthony misses time, the Red Sox have a few options to put into the designated hitter slot.
Monasterio could feature as the designated hitter for the remainder of the postseason, and Jahmai Jones could step in for a few at-bats as well. The Red Sox's solution will have to be right-handed, though, as the only left-handed bats on the roster are Abreu, Anthony and Duran, while the only switch-hitters on the team are also starters. The Red Sox will hope to get good new on Anthony before the start of Wednesday's game, which begins at 8:00 p.m.
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