The Boston Red Sox face a critical roster decision regarding outfielder Roman Anthony following a right-hand injury that forced him out of the American League Wild Card Series opener. Anthony exited Tuesday’s 9-0 loss to the New York Yankees on September 29, 2026, after his hand “flared up” during a sixth-inning at-bat.
Manager Chad Tracy confirmed after the game that the injury is a recurrence of the right ring finger CMC joint ligament tear that cost Anthony most of the 2026 regular season. The injury was triggered by a check-swing, leaving the 22-year-old’s status for the remainder of the series in doubt.
Injury Recurrence and Game 1 Exit
The flare-up occurred in the top of the sixth inning at Yankee Stadium. Anthony, who went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts against Yankees starter Cam Schlittler, felt immediate discomfort and was replaced by pinch-hitter Andruw Monasterio.
This specific ligament issue has hampered Anthony throughout the year. He originally suffered a partial tear in the same joint on May 4, 2026, and was unable to return to the lineup until August 30. Due to the recovery time, he was limited to just 55 games during the regular season. Tracy noted that the hand felt “uncomfortable” immediately following the swing, leading to the cautious removal in a blowout game.
Postseason Roster Dilemma
The timing of the injury presents a strategic challenge for the Red Sox front office as they look toward Game 2 on Wednesday, September 30. Under MLB postseason rules, if a team replaces an injured player on the active roster during a series, that player is ruled ineligible for the following round.
If Boston chooses to replace Anthony for the remainder of the Wild Card round to gain a healthy bench player, he would be barred from participating in the American League Division Series (ALDS) should the Red Sox advance. This creates a high-stakes decision: play with a short bench and hope Anthony recovers quickly, or secure a replacement and lose a primary outfielder for a potential deep playoff run.
According to the MLB postseason guidelines, injury replacements must be approved by the Commissioner’s Office and require the sidelined player to miss the current series plus the entirety of the next round.
Trailing 1-0 in the best-of-three series, the Red Sox must win Game 2 at 8:00 PM ET to keep their season alive. If Anthony is unable to play, the team will likely look to Monasterio or a defensive reshuffle in the outfield to fill the void. The Red Sox have not yet confirmed if they will make an official roster move or attempt to keep Anthony active in hopes of a late-series return.
