The Boston Red Sox have taken the league by storm at a time when much of the MLB world expected them to be sellers ahead of the August 3 trade deadline. Riding a 14-game winning streak, the Red Sox (51-48) currently hold the third AL Wild Card spot as their remarkable surge continues. In fact, they are on the verge of making franchise history on Tuesday when they face the Baltimore Orioles. Amid all the excitement in Boston, however, the Red Sox’s top prospect, Roman Anthony, remains sidelined in Fort Myers. And if this insider’s insights are any indication, his situation may be even more concerning than it appears.

“Regardless of this, the Red Sox are hot right now; they are very much in the playoff picture,” Tim Healey of The Boston Globe said, as per Foul Territory on X. “Roman Anthony, though, is stuck in Florida right now, basically indefinitely. They have no idea when he’s going to come back.”

Anthony partially tore his ligament at the base of his right ring finger 11 weeks ago while swinging in a game against the Detroit Tigers. Since then, Anthony has been on the injured list and has yet to resume hitting.

The 22-year-old’s recovery on the IL has been slow and disappointing too. The Red Sox have shut him down from swinging, as he can’t do so without feeling pain yet. On Sunday, interim manager Chad Tracy revealed that they are not going to rush Anthony despite their playoff contention. They want the young player fully healthy before he returns to the big leagues.

“We’re not going to resume hitting if there’s still discomfort in the hand,” Tracy told The Boston Globe. “That’s a big piece of our lineup. It would be great to get him back. The whole point is we don’t want our player, that player, to play injured, especially when it comes to swinging the bat. So, just continuing to get him to where he feels very confident in his mind that that hand feels good. That’s our goal.”

Alongside Anthony, Garrett Crochet also remains on the injured list due to a secondary lat strain and left shoulder inflammation. He has not played since April 29, and there is still no timetable for his return.

Anthony recently consulted Dr. Gary Lourie, who is a hand specialist, per MassLive, for a second opinion. According to Lourie, there is nothing wrong with his current treatment plan. It appears Anthony just needs to give his hand proper rest and time to heal fully.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox’s latest win has pushed them nearer to making franchise history.

The Red Sox: One win away from franchise history

The Red Sox’s thrilling 6-5 win in the series opener against the Baltimore Orioles has helped them surpass a 1948 record of a 13-game winning streak. They now hold the second-longest winning streak in franchise history with 14 straight wins.

Caleb Durbin played hero Monday night at Fenway Park against the Orioles, as he broke the tie with his 10 homer of the season. His shot over the Green Monster off Tyler Wells helped the Red Sox to their 19 win in 21 games. Durbin is slashing .236/.299/.400 with a .699 OPS this season.

If the Red Sox manage to secure another win against the Orioles on Tuesday, they will equal an 80-year-old franchise record. The last time the Red Sox won 15 games in a row was in 1946.

The St. Louis Cardinals are the most recent MLB team to win 15 consecutive games, having put together a 17-game winning streak in September 2021.

While the Red Sox create history, Roman Anthony will unfortunately have to look on from the sidelines.