Boston Red Sox
Anthony has begun hitting off a pitching machine to train with higher velocities as he starts to ramp up.
Roman Anthony has been out of the Red Sox lineup since May. Finn Gomez/The Boston Globe
The Red Sox are rolling, and they’re on the verge of getting even better in the coming weeks.
That’s thanks to positive injury updates for both Adley Rutschman and Roman Anthony, Boston’s top young star and major trade deadline acquisition.
Anthony has been on the shelf since the beginning of May with a wrist injury that has hampered him for months. Meanwhile, Rutschman last appeared for the Orioles in the middle of July, before the Red Sox acquired him ahead of Monday’s trade deadline.
Rutschman is closer to making his debut than Anthony is to returning. He made his first rehab appearance for the Worcester Red Sox on Saturday, catching for five innings. He flexed his speed and pop at the position, gunning down a stealing runner in the first inning of his start.
Anthony has not begun any rehab stints, but is ramping up in his recovery. As of Friday, The Boston Globe‘s Alex Speier noted that Anthony is hitting off a pitching machine, dealing with some higher velocity as he prepares for a potential late season return.
Each return will reinforce an already blazing hot Red Sox lineup. Rutschman would be filling a bit of a hole for Boston, as Craig Breslow traded Carlos Narvaez as part of a hefty package to acquire him. But Connor Wong, to his credit, has performed better than expected with his increased workload in the meantime.
The same is true to an extent of Jarren Duran, who would likely not be an everyday starter in left field at this point if Anthony were healthy. The former All-Star has had a rough year at the plate, but is still on pace for 20 home runs this season, so he’s helped generate some scoring despite his low batting average.
When Anthony returns, Duran and Masataka Yoshida will likely be splitting duties as designated hitter/left fielder depending on pitching matchups. A healthy Rutschman will almost certainly be the team’s everyday catcher, but Wong could certainly spell him to give the 3-time All-Star a rest.
And even without those two impact players, along with Garrett Crochet, who may also be a late-season add (albeit to the bullpen), Boston is still riding a 9-game winning streak into Saturday’s matchup against the Athletics.
The hottest team in MLB is about to get even scarier when Anthony and Rutschman are healthy.
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