Roman Anthony removed from Red Sox playoff roster with hand injury

Roman Anthony is off the Red Sox playoff roster. Imaging conducted after he left Game 1 revealed new strains in different muscles of his wrist alongside a re-aggravation of the injury that shadowed him through the regular season — and a playoff roster rule means his absence would extend further if Boston advances.

What happened

The Red Sox removed Anthony from their playoff roster due to his hand injury, per a report from Darragh McDonald at MLB Trade Rumors, relaying details first surfaced by Rob Bradford of WEEI, Chris Cotillo of MassLive, and Ian Browne of MLB.com. After Anthony departed Game 1, he was sent back to Boston for additional imaging, which revealed new strains in different muscles of his wrist on top of a re-aggravation of the injury he dealt with earlier this year. Manager Chad Tracy, per Cotillo, put it plainly: the results showed new damage alongside the exacerbation of the old injuries. "It's not great," Tracy said.

MLB officially announced the transaction, with Curtis Mead replacing Anthony on the roster, per Jorge Castillo of ESPN.

Under playoff roster rules, a player removed from a roster during a series must also sit out the subsequent series. That means Anthony would not be eligible for the American League Division Series if the Red Sox advance — a significant development for a club already facing elimination.

Why it matters

Anthony's sophomore season has been defined by this injury. The official diagnosis when he was placed on the injured list in May was a right wrist sprain, but Anthony himself said the actual issue was a torn ligament in his right ring finger. What was initially considered a relatively minor problem kept him off the field for nearly four months of the regular season. He managed to return in September, made the Wild Card roster, and was in the lineup as the designated hitter in Game 1 — before leaving with more soreness.

The imaging results reported after that exit suggest the situation may now be more serious than it was when the injury first surfaced in May. Tracy's comments, per Cotillo, indicate the imaging revealed something beyond what was previously known, though no updated structural diagnosis has been reported. The Red Sox, for their part, are focused on the immediate problem: they lost Game 1 and are on the brink of elimination.

The numbers

Anthony's debut season offered a compelling baseline. In 71 big league games last year, he posted a .292/.396/.463 line — the kind of first impression that prompted the Red Sox to sign him to a $130MM extension. This year, limited to 55 regular season games by the hand and wrist issues, he hit .245/.339/.396. The gap between those two lines is not simply a sophomore adjustment; it reflects a player who spent nearly four months on the injured list and returned to find the underlying problem unresolved.

Where the club stands

Boston enters Thursday's game at 87-75 (.537), sitting third in the AL East, 11 games back in the division race, and holding the No. 2 Wild Card spot at +3.0 relative to the cut line. They are on a one-game losing streak and have been eliminated from the division race. One more loss ends their postseason entirely.

Thursday's game at Yankee Stadium is a must-win. Per newsroom reporting from earlier today, Sonny Gray is set to start Game 2 for Boston against the Yankees, who will counter with Gerrit Cole, per the listed probable pitchers.

With Anthony out, the outfield picture for tonight has already shifted. Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Jarren Duran formed the outfield in Game 1, but with lefty Max Fried on the mound for New York, Nate Eaton has started in place of Duran tonight, per the report. Jahmai Jones is in the DH spot. Mead — now officially on the roster — and Anthony Seigler were both listed as candidates before the transaction was finalized, with Mead confirmed as the replacement and available off the bench.

The broader roster context around this series has been complicated. Garrett Crochet was reinstated from the injured list and added to the Wild Card roster ahead of the series, per earlier reporting. And per separate reporting earlier this week, Mickey Gasper is facing a biceps procedure that has ended his 2026 season entirely — another piece of the injury backdrop Boston has been navigating heading into the postseason.

What we don't know yet

The full scope of Anthony's hand situation remains unclear beyond what the imaging has shown so far. The report describes new strains and a re-aggravation of the prior injury, but no timetable for recovery has been reported. Whether this affects his availability for a potential ALDS — moot if Boston is eliminated tonight, but relevant if they advance — is also unaddressed in the available reporting, beyond the roster rule that would keep him out of the next series regardless.

No updated structural diagnosis has been reported beyond Tracy's characterization of the imaging results. The original ligament injury Anthony described in May, and what the new imaging means for it specifically, remains an open question.

What to watch

### Would Anthony be eligible if the Red Sox advance?

Per the playoff roster rule cited in the report, no — a player removed from a roster during a series must also sit out the subsequent series. Anthony would not be eligible for the ALDS even if Boston wins tonight and advances. That question is answered; the larger one is whether the Red Sox get there at all.

The immediate focus is Game 2 at Yankee Stadium, with Gray on the mound for Boston and Cole going for New York. Mead is now officially on the roster and available. How Tracy deploys the bench — and whether the lineup adjustments against Fried hold through the game — will be worth tracking as the Red Sox try to extend their postseason one more night.