The Red Sox's Roman Anthony Problem Isn't Going Away Yet

The Boston Red Sox outfielder hasn't played in a game since May 4.

iMay 3, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Roman Anthony (19) warms-up before batting against the Houston Astros during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

It's been an odd few days for the Boston Red Sox when it has come to outfielder Roman Anthony.

The biggest and easiest fact to work with right now is that Anthony hasn't played in a game since May 4 due to a hand injury. Since Anthony hurt his hand, there have been a wide range of injury updates. Some have been positive. Some haven't been. On Friday, there was a bit of a negative update. Anthony was shut down from swinging again after experiencing a bit of pain after progressing to hitting off a tee, according to MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo.

"Roman Anthony felt discomfort hitting off a tee yesterday and has been shut down from swinging again, at least for a few days, Chad Tracy said," Cotillo wrote on X.

Hopefully, the 22-year-old is able to get back into the mix soon. But he's dealing with a tough injury. Anthony revealed on WEEI that he's dealing with a partially torn ring finger ligament. He specified that it's his ring finger CMC.

The conversation around Anthony's injury has been loud — and changing — since he went down. Initially, there was hope that Anthony could return without an Injured List stint. That wasn't the case and he ended up on the Injured List. Then, there have been various updates since. Red Sox president and chief executive officer Sam Kennedy specifically claimed Anthony isn't dealing with a torn ligament. But the young outfielder confirmed that it isn't the case.

The Red Sox Outfielder Is Still Hurting

Apr 15, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Roman Anthony (left) and center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela return to the dugout after scoring against the Minnesota Twins in the sixth inning on a double by shortstop Trevor Story (not pictured) at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

On Friday, after it was shared that Anthony was being shut down again. Interim manager Chad Tracy addressed the conflicting information.

"I know stuff came out yesterday about ‘tear vs. sprain vs. strain’ and all these things. I don’t know what else to say other than a strain/sprain, it is a tear," Tracy said. "If you strain a hamstring, that’s a partial tear. Fibers let go a little bit and they’ve got to heal. I don’t think anything was portrayed differently or wrongly.

"The fact of the matter still remains that he’s got something in there and if there’s discomfort, we just have to wait. Did we want it to go quicker? Yeah, but we can’t control the healing. If he’s got discomfort, we’ve got to wait. Is it going to go longer than we had originally hoped and thought? Yeah, but that’s just how it goes."

At the end of the day, there's always going to be nuance when it comes to injuries to players. The information isn't always going to be perfect from a team. But arguably, all of the conflicting information from the team hasn't necessarily been fair to the young outfielder. An injury is no one's fault. An injury can't be controlled. The messaging can, though.

It's also true that things can be worse than initially expected. That's perfectly fair, too. But it's not as if the club shied away from the noise. Kennedy specifically said on WEEI that the club got multiple opinions and there was no tear. If the club had said from the beginning that there was some sort of tear, then the response waiting for him to return would've been completely different.

At the end of the day, the important thing is Anthony getting healthy and returning when he's able. But that's why the messaging is important. The expectations would've been different if the messaging had been clearer from the beginning.