Red Sox's Lineup for Yankees Game 2: Roman Anthony Out, Big Changes

The Boston Red Sox will not have Roman Anthony in the starting lineup on Wednesday.

Sep 17, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Roman Anthony (19) collects an RBI on fielders choice against the Texas Rangers during the seventh inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's wild how quickly things can change.

On Tuesday, when the Boston Red Sox announced their Game 1 lineup for the wild-card series against the New York Yankees, we called it the most balanced one of the season for Boston. On paper, it was. But it only mustered up three base hits and racked up 11 strikeouts. Plus, Roman Anthony was forced to exit due to injury.

That's baseball.

On Wednesday afternoon, Boston shared the lineup for Game 2 and it certainly looks a bit different with the biggest difference being the lack of Anthony at the top.

Here's the Red Sox's Game 2 lineup vs. the Yankees.

Red Sox's Game 2 Lineup

Sep 18, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Jahmai Jones (37) celebrates with right fielder Wilyer Abreu (52) after hitting a solo home run in the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

1. Jahmai Jones, DH
2. Adley Rutschman, C
3. Willson Contreras, 1B
4. Wilyer Abreu, RF
5. Ceddanne Rafaela, CF
6. Caleb Durbin, 3B
7. Nick Sogard, 2B
8. Trevor Story, SS
9. Nate Eaton, LF

The biggest difference here, of course, is Anthony being out of the mix in the biggest game of the season for the organization. It's certainly not a good sign for the club as it is one loss away from the 2026 season being over. On the bright side, Jones is a lefty killer and the Yankees are sending Max Fried to the hill. In his career, Jones is 1-for-2 against Fried in two at-bats. Anthony is 0-for-3, if that helps make Red Sox fans feel better.

The other big difference is Jarren Duran starting the game on the bench with Eaton taking over left field. Duran is 2-for-16 against Fried. Simply put, the Yankees lefty has had Duran's number. Eaton actually has gone 3-for-6 against the Yankees star, including a double.

At the end of the day, all that matters at this point is finding a way to advance to a Game 3 on Thursday. Boston will turn to Sonny Gray to face off against his old team.

Boston fans have made their feelings clear on social media since Anthony left on Tuesday. It's important to note that Boston played three months without its star outfielder and found a way to get into the postseason. The series isn't over. Boston's lineup is good on paper, especially against the lefty Fried, and the Red Sox have their 2026 ace on the hill in Gray. All it takes is one win to change the trajectory of the series. Game 1 wasn't good. But it's now in the past. Now, it's time to figure out how to get a win.