Red Sox Catch Bad Break With Roman Anthony Out Again

The Boston Red Sox simply can't catch a break right now.

On Friday, the Red Sox will kick off a three-game set on the road against the Baltimore Orioles after being swept by the New York Yankees. Boston is 9-16 on the season and the offense has mightily struggled. The Red Sox haven't been at full strength over the last few days and won't be on Friday night as well.

Roman Anthony missed the final two games of the Yankees series and on Friday, the club revealed its lineup for the series opener against Baltimore and the young outfielder was not included once again due to his sore back.

Game 1 in Baltimore. pic.twitter.com/PcVBM0FDPa
— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 24, 2026

The Red Sox Are Teetering On Disaster

Apr 3, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Roman Anthony (19) hits a single against the San Diego Padres during the fifth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The longer Anthony remains out, the more concerning his sore back is. Initially, the hope was that Anthony would miss just one game. He missed Wednesday's contest and the initial hope was a return for the Yankees series finale on Thursday night at Fenway Park, but that didn't happen.

On Thursday night, Anthony did give the fanbase a bit of hope and said that he expects to play in the coming days.

“Right now, I think I’m in a good spot and I’ll be able to play in the next couple days,” Anthony said. " ... “Just a weird thing that happened on a swing."

With Anthony out of the lineup, the Red Sox have rolled with Jarren Duran at the top of the order for two straight games on Thursday and Friday. Fortunately, we're starting to see Duran turn things around. Duran went 3-for-4 on Wednesday before moving into the leadoff spot on Thursday. On Thursday, he went 1-for-4 at the top of the order.

With Anthony out of the mix right now, it has alleviated the outfield logjam for the time being. There are four outfielders still in the mix with Anthony out and all of them are in the lineup on Friday with Masataka Yoshida as the DH, Duran in left field, Ceddanne Rafaela in center field and Wilyer Abreu in right field.

On the bright side, Anthony insinuated that he would be back in the coming days. But the fact that he's now missing his third straight game isn't a great sign. If he's not back in the lineup on Saturday, the alarm bells are going to get louder and louder. Right now, things aren't going well for Boston. There's no denying that fact. Losing Anthony would be an absolute disaster that even though it's April, Boston may not be able to bounce back from.

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