In early August, just before signing a massive extension with the Red Sox, rookie Roman Anthony felt his back tighten up during pregame warmups and was a late scratch for a game against the Royals. The rookie, though, only missed two games. He and the team appeared to have dodged a bullet.
But an apparently new issue resurfaced on Tuesday night, as Anthony left Boston’s game against the Cleveland Guardians early with what at first appeared to have been another back issue but was later described by the team as “oblique tightness.”
After the game — which the Red Sox won, 11-7, in dramatic fashion — manager Alex Cora told the media that Anthony was “sore” and that he’s scheduled for an MRI on Wednesday.
“We will know more during the day,” Cora said, noting that Anthony said he first felt the issue pop up on a check swing before the strikeout.
Anthony, who had been 1-for-2 with an RBI single, swung and missed for strike three in the bottom of the fourth inning. He immediately reached for his lower left back and continued to do so on his walk back to the dugout.
Anthony did not take the field in the leading of the fifth and was replaced in right field by Nate Eaton.
Missing Anthony for any amount of time would be a significant loss for the Red Sox, who are in the midst of battling for the AL East crown with the Blue Jays and Yankees while also holding on to a wild-card spot in the American League. Despite being a 21-year-old rookie and despite not getting called up until June, Anthony has been one of the Red Sox’ best players this season, with a .291 batting average and .861 OPS entering Tuesday. Only Alex Bregman (.864) has a better OPS.
While the Red Sox’ lineup has been fluid from leading to bottom for most of the year, Anthony has solidified the leadoff spot since Cora placed him there in late July. Since the move, Anthony has batted .336, reached base at a .442 clip, and has posted a 1.012 OPS over 30 games.
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