Boston Red Sox
“No matter what happens, I’m gonna help this team again this year.”
Roman Anthony didn’t look all that rusty on Tuesday evening in Portland.
Playing in his first baseball game since May 4, the talented Red Sox outfielder impressed in his first rehab outing with the Double-A Sea Dogs — taking a promising first step back in his anticipated return to the big leagues.
In seven innings of work, Anthony reached base in all four of his plate appearances — going 2-for-2 with two walks, a single, and a towering home run.
Anthony’s moonshot came in his third at-bat of the evening at Hadlock Field — with the 22-year-old Anthony golfing a first-pitch breaking ball from Luke Russo out of the park in the bottom of the fifth inning.
“I think just the day as a whole, it felt good to be back on a baseball field and go through regular baseball activity, and just be out there with a great group of guys,” Anthony said postgame. “I’ve got to play with some of these guys, and just to see them and see the fans show out and the staff here, it’s been great. This is a special place to me, and [it’s] great to come back here and be with these guys.”
Anthony — batting second in Portland’s lineup as a DH — is working his way back from an extended injury that has derailed most of his 2026 campaign.
During a road game against the Tigers on May 4, Anthony fouled off a pitch on a check swing and flexed his right hand in discomfort — eventually leaving the game in the following inning.
What was initially deemed just a “day-to-day” ailment for Anthony snowballed into a 10-day IL stint and ultimately a partially torn tendon in his right ring finger that kept one of Boston’s top players on the shelf for most of the summer.
Even before his injury, Anthony labored at the plate through April — slashing .229/.354/.321 with one home run and five RBI. He also missed several games during the first month of the season due to back tightness.
Given his extended absence from the baseball diamond, Anthony expressed plenty of gratitude while speaking to reporters in Portland ahead of Tuesday’s game.
“Just continuing to tell myself every day, like, no matter what happens, I’m gonna help this team again this year,” Anthony told reporters, including Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, of dealing with such an extended layoff. “And just kind of stayed true to that the entire way. Obviously, didn’t go super smooth at all times, but again, I’m sitting there just telling myself in my head, like, ‘Man, this is just a finger injury. Why is this taking so long? There’s no way this is gonna make me miss the entire year.’ So, it’s good.
“I continue to tell myself that every day, no matter the good days, the bad days, I think the rehab process can be confusing, it can be tough, especially when you’re dealing with something that you don’t really have any history of dealing with, don’t really know how it’s gonna go. So, I just continue to tell myself positive things.”
Anthony’s return to the top of Boston’s lineup would be a welcome sight for a Red Sox team that has turned its season around via a mid-season surge.
Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy noted that Anthony will have a “hybrid” day on Wednesday with Portland — with the team seeing how Anthony feels Wednesday afternoon before determining if he’s ready to string together back-to-back games.
The previous day, Tracy didn’t mince words when asked about how Anthony’s return would impact Boston’s lineup for the stretch run.
“If he’s Roman — he can impact it in a very big way,” Tracy said Monday. “You guys have seen him when he’s at his best, and even when he’s not. I mean, I made comments all the time about him in Worcester.
“Like, even when Roman’s not at his best, he finds his way to first base because he’s got a really keen eye at the plate. He understands what’s a strike, what’s a ball. So if he’s feeling good, he can make a significant impact.”
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