05-08-2025
Roman Anthony to miss second straight game Tuesday with "mid-back tightness"
Roman Anthony will miss his second straight game with back tightness Tuesday night, but the Boston Red Sox don't expect their rookie phenom to be out for long.
Anthony was set to hit third and play right field in Boston's series opener against the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park on Monday night. But he was scratched just a few minutes before first pitch with what the team is calling "mid-back tightness."
Boston manager Alex Cora didn't sound concerned with the 21-year-old outfielder, but did say Anthony would get a second straight day off Tuesday.
"I'll stay away from him tomorrow," Cora said after Monday's 8-5 win over the Royals. "He'll be OK to play tomorrow but he took today and I'll give him tomorrow, too."
While it's never good to hear of a 21-year-old dealing with a bad back, it sounds like the Red Sox are just being overly cautious with their potentially generational rookie.
NESN cameras caught the moment Anthony initially felt something during his pre-game stretching routine. He quickly called over team trainers, and was scratched a few minutes later. He said the issue popped up "super sudden."
"Everything felt normal all day. I felt something as I was stretching on the line. I figured we'd be cautious with it," said Anthony. "Just was super uncomfortable and relayed that quickly and just decided we were going to shut it down."
The good news is Anthony said he was already feeling better when he spoke with reporters following Monday's win. Anthony hasn't gone for an MRI, and all signs point to him avoiding a trip to the injured list with the injury.
Wilyer Abreu replaced Anthony in the lineup Monday night, and went 2-for-3 with an RBI single out of the three-hole. The Red Sox will host the Royals Tuesday and Wednesday before getting an off day Thursday, and will then head out on a six-game road trip to San Diego and Houston.
Anthony was the No. 1 prospect in baseball when the Red Sox called him up on June 9. He's played in 46 games since making his debut, and has slashed .283/.400/.428 with a .828 OPS for Boston.
Anthony is currently riding an eight-game hitting streak, where he's slashed .414/.541/.586 with a 1.127 OPS to go with three doubles, a triple, and seven runs scored. He was the hero of Friday night's win over the Astros at Fenway Park, when he socked a game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning to lift Boston to a 2-1 victory.
