Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox placed Anthony on the 10-day injured list May 7.
Anthony has yet to resume swinging a bat, but that could change soon. AP Photo/Charles Krupa
22-year-old Boston Red Sox slugger Roman Anthony has missed nine games entering Friday since landing on the injured list last week with a right wrist sprain.
Anthony won’t be back on the field in the minimum IL time, despite the player originally saying he likely would. Friday would have been the soonest he could be activated.
However, it appears Anthony is making good progress in his recovery.
The outfielder had been wearing a brace on his injured wrist, but only because he received a cortisone injection, according to interim manager Chad Tracy (via MassLive’s Chris Cotillo). Anthony was recently able to shed the brace.
“I’m out of the brace and got to do baseball activity today,” Anthony said. “So, positive signs. I’m feeling good.”
He even played catch on the field ahead of Friday’s game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park.
However, the most important part of Anthony’s rehab has yet to commence: swinging a bat.
He said he’d like to resume swinging “very soon” based on how his body responded to throwing a ball earlier in the day.
“Based on the way I felt throwing today, hoping to get into that very soon,” Anthony said. “I don’t have a timeline on what they want from me or the plan. All I know is that the first step was getting out there and that the throwing kind of leads into the hitting.”
Tracy indicated it might not be long before the hitting phase occurs.
“He’s feeling a lot better, which is good news for us,” Tracy said. “So then we progress along. Hopefully — depending on how he responds to all this and maybe by the end of our time here (in Atlanta) — we can get him swinging a bat. We’ll see how it goes and how he responds to what he’s doing.”
The mystery of how his body will respond upon swinging a bat again for the first time in a while is the real question. Anthony could feel comfortable quickly, or it could take time for him to return to full strength, both physically and mentally, at the plate.
Anthony’s injury occurred on May 4 against the Detroit Tigers. He left the game after fouling on a check-swing; he finished the at-bat, but was replaced the next inning defensively.
The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for the youngster. Anthony had gotten off to a slow offensive start, as have most of his teammates, but he had begun to show signs of improvement.
Through four games in May, he batted .385 with a .467 on-base percentage, two doubles, and two walks. Each of his doubles was well-hit, and it felt like a matter of time before he would start going deep again.
Anthony’s lone home run of the year came on April 1 against the Houston Astros.
Following Friday’s good news, Anthony’s mind is in the right place, and he is optimistic about his return.
“I didn’t really know where I was going to be come today,” he said. “I don’t think it went badly in terms of what I was feeling and how it’s progressed over the last few days. I think I’m in a very good spot and hopeful to be back in there as soon as possible.”
Kaley Brown
Kaley Brown is a sports producer for Boston.com, where she covers the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
