Roman Anthony's Best-Case, Worst-Case Scenarios for Red Sox After Nightmare 2026

The Boston Red Sox outfielder had his 2026 season cut short due to injury.

Sep 29, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Roman Anthony (19) is introduced before game one of the Wildcard round of the 2026 MLB Playoffs against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 2026 Major League Baseball season was a very difficult one for young Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony.

When Anthony was on the field, he was good. Anthony has all of the talent in the world and is going to be a legit star in the league for a long time, as long as he can stay on the field. Anthony played in just 55 games in the regular season in 2026. In that stretch, Anthony slashed .245/.339/.396 with five home runs, 15 RBIs, 11 doubles and three triples. The stretch wasn't as good as what he did as a rookie in 2025, but again, he wasn't at full strength. Anthony missed roughly three months of the 2026 season due to a partially torn ring finger CMC ligament. He returned before the playoffs, but his season was cut short due to "new strains to different muscles in his wrist in addition to exacerbating the old injuries."

Fortunately, it was shared that Anthony doesn't need surgery at this time, just rest. Boston needs Anthony or it will not reach its potential in 2027. So, what's the best- and worst-case scenarios for him?

Best-Case Scenario

Sep 25, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Roman Anthony (19) runs out a triple against the Chicago Cubs during the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This one is easy. Again, it was shared that Anthony doesn't need surgery to fix the issue. With four months to go until Spring Training and over five months to go until the 2027 season begins — barring a lockout — hopefully, that is enough time to fully recover. The best-case scenario would be Anthony entering Spring Training with the injury in the rearview and him being at 100 percent and able to build up for Opening Day. He's the motor that powers Boston's offense. If he's healthy and at full strength at the top of the order, there won't be questions about Boston's offense.

Worst-Case Scenario

Sep 16, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Roman Anthony (19) looks on during the game between the Rangers and the Red Sox at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The worst-case scenario would be if this is an injury that is perpetual and continues to pop up. When Anthony initially got hurt, there was a wide range of conflicting updates. At the end of the day, it was bad enough that he missed roughly three months and then hurt it again shortly afterward. Right now, he has months to rest and get better. But injuries are unpredictable. You need your hand/wrist to swing a baseball bat. If this is something that's going to continue to pop up, Boston is going to be in trouble.

Right now, surgery isn't a requirement. But what if two months from now something changes and then all of a sudden the 2027 season is impacted? When it comes to injuries — especially rare ones like this — there are a lot of "what ifs." You can rest and rehab, but it's unpredictable. The worst-case scenario would be this carrying over into 2027 and then all of a sudden Boston's out its leadoff hitter again.