Red Sox Explain Roman Anthony’s Absence vs. Cardinals

The Boston Red Sox suffered their ninth loss of the young season on Friday as they faced off against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Boston fans are certainly familiar with the Cardinals. The Red Sox and Cardinals have gotten four trades done over the last few seasons. Boston acquired Tyler O'Neill, Steven Matz, Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray all from St. Louis in four separate deals dating back to before the 2024 season. Contreras and Gray came over this past offseason and have been bright spots for the Red Sox so far this season.

When the two sides faced off on Friday, one story early on in the contest was the fact that Roman Anthony wasn't in the lineup. It really shouldn't have been much of a story. The Red Sox have five outfielders and have been rotating guys in and out. Anthony has been struggling a bit and so it was his turn to sit on Friday. Red Sox manager Alex Cora explained the decision before the game.

"You've got to play everybody," Cora said. "I mean, Masa is putting up good at-bats. We need him to keep going. [Jarren Duran] didn't play a few games during the week. This is the rotation. We're going to maximize the roster and today it was his day. He's ready to pinch-hit. But if he can get a full day off, that would be great. Two in a row and he'll play the rest of the road trip."

The Red Sox Star Didn't Play On Friday

Apr 1, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Boston Red Sox pinch hitter Roman Anthony (19) crosses home plate after hitting a home run against the Houston Astros during the ninth inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Anthony didn't end up getting into the contest as a pinch hitter on Friday night. Anthony would've pinch-hit for Carlos Narváez in the ninth inning, but Marcelo Mayer, who hits just in front of Narváez, made the final out of the game. MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo reported that Anthony isn't dealing with an injury and would've replaced Narváez if the Red Sox could've gotten to that spot in the lineup.

Players are going to get days off, that's why it shouldn't have been much of a story that he was out of the mix on Friday. What is a bigger story overall is how the offense is working at the moment in general. With Anthony out of the lineup, it only added a bigger spotlight on this fact. Boston is tied for the 27th-fewest runs scored in baseball right now with just 46.

That's not going to cut it. Is the outfield logjam part of the problem? Maybe. It has to be difficult to get into a rhythm when there this many changes going on each week. But this isn't just an outfield issue. The offensive problems are plaguing the entire roster, for the most part.

Mayer, Duran, Trevor Story and Caleb Durbin are all hitting .182 or below. Anthony isn't much higher at .217. Narváez also isn't much higher at .207. That's a massive part of the problem. Boston has nine total homers, that's a problem. The outfield and Anthony sitting for a day will get the attention, but the club is dealing with a problem with the entire offense.