The Plan for Roman Anthony, Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are inching closer and closer to getting their young star back on the field up in the majors.

Roman Anthony is close to a return, although he's not quite there. Anthony kicked off his minor league rehab assignment with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs on Tuesday. It was a great night for the organization. Anthony went 2-for-2 with a home run and two walks and sent a jolt of excitement throughout the fanbase.

🚨 THIS IS NOT A DRILL 🚨

ROMAN ANTHONY HIT ONE OUT OF THE PARK IN HIS FIRST REHAB GAME! 🤯 🚀 pic.twitter.com/GM7J03kj06
— NESN (@NESN) August 18, 2026

Naturally, fans are wondering when they could see Anthony back in the majors for a game. That time is coming, but again, not yet.

Before Anthony began his rehab assignment, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy noted that Wednesday was being viewed as a hybrid day, meaning it was up in the air at the time whether or not he would play. After Tuesday's contest, Anthony said he was looking to play on Wednesday. But the club opted to hold him out of game action on Wednesday. This isn't a negative thing at all, but it was more of a way to ease the 22-year-old into action.

Roman Anthony's Close For Boston

Boston Red Sox left fielder Roman Anthony (19) bats against Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Monday, May 4, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Before the Red Sox concluded their three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, Tracy shared that the plan moving forward is for Anthony to play for Portland on Thursday out in left field and then once again on Friday, but as the team's designated hitter. Tim Healey of The Boston Globe shared the news on X.

"The Red Sox decided that Roman Anthony won’t play today for Double-A Portland, Chad Tracy said. He will play Thursday (left field) and Friday (DH)," Healey wrote.

At this point, the club hasn't revealed more to the schedule beyond Friday. It's certainly going to be interesting to see what the team does. For position players, they can be on a rehab assignment for a maximum of 20 days. Anthony's clock started on Tuesday, so Friday will be day No. 4. Afterward, he'll still have plenty of time available to him, if the Red Sox were to see fit.

We've seen guys throughout the Red Sox organization go through rehab assignments fairly quickly. Both Adley Rutschman and Romy González did just that. Right now, Trevor Story is on a rehab assignment as well and he's insinuated that he thinks his will be quick as well.

While the schedule for Anthony has only been announced through Friday, arguably the club should give him a few more days beyond that before promoting him. This isn't to say he didn't look good on Tuesday. But he's been out for a long time. They should at least get through the weekend before even thinking about bringing him up.

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