Roman Anthony’s Recovery Progress Puts Red Sox Playoff Hopes in Jeopardy

Boston, MA — Roman Anthony‘s return to the field for the Boston Red Sox remains uncertain as he continues to recover from an oblique injury. Speaking to reporters in Toronto ahead of the Red Sox’s 4-1 victory over the Blue Jays, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow provided updates on Anthony’s condition.

“He hasn’t started baseball activities yet,” Breslow said. “Being around him a little bit, you can see he’s getting more comfortable. When it first happened, you could tell he was in quite a bit of discomfort and pain. That has subsided, but there’s still a lot of room to get to in terms of baseball activities.”

Anthony has been sidelined since September 3, with Breslow noting that the typical recovery timeline for an oblique strain ranges from four to six weeks. If he were to be cleared for action four weeks from his injury date, he could return by October 1, coinciding with Game 2 of a potential Wild-Card series for the Red Sox.

The team would welcome Anthony’s return, especially since he had displayed impressive stats prior to his injury, batting .292 with a .396 on-base percentage over 71 games. He hit eight home runs, tallied 32 RBIs, and scored 48 runs. His absence has been felt, as the Red Sox have struggled with scoring since his departure.

Even with their recent win against Toronto, the Red Sox hold a record of 40-44 in the season without Anthony. This includes a 32-35 record before he was called up from Triple-A Worcester and an 8-9 record post-injury.

Breslow stated, “Making progress. Getting a little more comfortable every day. But it’s an injury that we knew would take some time to heal.” He added that Anthony and the medical staff were doing everything they could to accelerate his recovery timeline.