Boston Red Sox fans received an unwelcome surprise on Wednesday when star outfielder Roman Anthony was left out of the club’s starting lineup.
Facing New York Yankees left-hander Max Fried, it was possible Anthony might have simply gotten the day off due to matchups and the fact that he hasn’t been hitting particularly well. Instead, we learned that Anthony was dealing with a sore back.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora told the media at Fenway Park that Anthony sustained some sort of back discomfort during Tuesday’s 4-0 loss against the New York Yankees. He stayed in the game after discussing the issue with Cora, but on Wednesday, he woke up and didn’t feel right.
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What Alex Cora said about Anthony’s injury/back pain
Apr 20, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Roman Anthony (19) hits an RBI single during the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
“Hopefully he’ll be back tomorrow,” Cora said, per Christopher Smith of MassLive.
“After the game yesterday, I said, ‘Just let me know how you feel tomorrow morning’ and we go from there. He texts me early. He’s like, ‘I’m pretty sore.’ … So I’m like, ‘Well, let’s play smart.’”
Is it ever ideal to be without your most exciting hitter, even in the middle of a mini-slump? Of course not, but we have to look at the big picture here. It’s still April, Anthony missed significant time with an oblique injury suffered from swinging late last season, and there’s even less incentive to push a player to gut through an injury when there’s cold weather.
However, it also seems as if the Red Sox could still be in the discovery phase of whatever Anthony is dealing with. We’ll need more information before we can officially decide not to worry about this one, and that won’t come until Thursday at the earliest.
Anthony seems to have shaken off the worst of his throwing issues from early in the season, but he’s only slashing .225/.361/.325 with a single home run through his first 22 appearances of the season. Drawing walks is always helpful, but the Red Sox would love to see him start hitting for power, as he was late last year.
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