Roman Anthony's Slow Recovery Continues to Mystify Red Sox Fans

Here's the best we can do to explain it

May 4, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Roman Anthony (19) is checked on by interim manager Chad Tracy (17) and the trainer in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What the Boston Red Sox are doing right now is incredible in a vacuum, but the context of Roman Anthony being out of action the whole time makes it all the more improbable.

Anthony was the position player on the Red Sox whom fans were most excited about going into the year. But as Wilyer Abreu, Willson Contreras, and a red-hot supporting cast have carried Boston above .500, Anthony's 2 1/2-month stint on the injured list has no end in sight.

On Sunday, manager Chad Tracy delivered a relatively quiet update on Anthony that included a tidbit about how his finger ligament recovery is being evaluated. It's not the news Boston fans would have wanted to hear, but at this point, it's hard to expect something different.

Anthony won't swing a bat until...

Apr 18, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Roman Anthony (19) hits a single during the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tracy told the media at Fenway Park on Sunday, including Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, that Anthony still wasn't swinging in Fort Myers at the team's spring training complex. The intention at this point, per Speier's report, is for the 22-year-old to reach the point where he's pain free at long last before ramping up again.

Red Sox fans haven't taken kindly to the update online, and there's hardly any doubt that the team has bungled the messaging on this injury from the get-go. Ignoring the silly semantics about whether the club "lied" about the sprain also being a tear (as all sprains are), the finger ligament has proven to be finnicky and slow-healing.

It's certainly a far cry from the days after Anthony's injury, when the Red Sox were hopeful he'd avoid a stint on the injured list. Every time there's been a step forward, there's inevitably been an update a few days later that dry swings weren't going well.

And when the Red Sox sent Anthony to Fort Myers to continue his rehab earlier this month, after he'd already been placed on the 60-day injured list, we entered what could seemingly be a long holding pattern. One might like to think we'd see Anthony again in the regular season no matter what, but it would also be foolish to guarantee that will be the case.

It may not be time to panic about Anthony being a long-term fixture of the Red Sox's position player core, but there's no doubt this season has become a frustrating one for all sides.