“From what I understand, he’s got a sprain,” is what Red Sox president Sam Kennedy said when Roman Anthony got injured initially. Roman Anthony knew better. The 22-year-old outfielder went on a podcast to bust the lie. “I don’t know if it’s made clear, but it’s a partially torn ring finger ligament. My ring finger CMC, to be exact,” Anthony said. Since that podcast, his recovery has completely stopped. His frustrating absence perfectly matches Boston’s terrible season.

“Roman Anthony hasn’t made any substantive progress during the Red Sox road trip,” said Chad Tracy to Tim Healey when asked about Roman Anthony’s recovery.

Anthony entered the season and was expected to be the franchise cornerstone. But his stalled recovery is very concerning. The latest update means he cannot even swing a light bat without feeling sharp pain. His hitting progress is totally shut down. And with no good news about his rehab, there is still no timeline for his return. 

He first suffered a torn ligament in his right ring finger during a check swing on May 4 against Detroit. The injury was later confirmed as a partial tear in the CMC joint area of the ring finger. And with this news, it is going to be almost two months since he got sidelined. 

He did take a step forward in his rehab when he started to take light swings. But even that had to be stopped after he felt some pain in the same finger and had to shut it down. And even though an MRI showed that his injury is healing, there wasn’t enough for the Red Sox to start making him hit again. 

The Roman Anthony will want to be careful of how they treat this injury because, according to Dr. Mark Cohen, he hasn’t seen an injury like this in his 32 years practicing as an Orthopedic specialist.  

“I’ve been doing this 32 years. I actually have never heard of a ring finger-isolated CMC ligament tear,” Cohen said. “The joints in which the ligaments get injured are usually not the CMC level… They’re at the knuckle or joints within the fingers. If you look up ring finger ligament sprain, you’ll find nothing — zero — because it’s not a common injury.”

Since the injury is so rare, there is no set timeline for his return. However, Dr. Cohen said that a normal ligament tear takes 8 to 12 weeks to fully heal. That means Anthony will be out at least till August. The delay in his return is not doing the struggling Boston Red Sox any favors. They won only 14 of their first 35 games before he got hurt. In the 43 games he has missed since the injury, Boston has continued to struggle, winning only 18 times.

Before his injury, Anthony was also struggling. He was batting just .229 and striking out a lot. But just as he started to hit better, this freak injury ruined his season. And the Boston Red Sox being last in almost every offensive stat and six games off a Wild Card spot, things will be very difficult for the team to get back on track. So, the Red Sox might as well take their time with Roman Anthony and his injury.

But that doesn’t mean the Red Sox can’t do something to improve during the trade deadline.

Who could the Red Sox add during the trade deadline?

The Boston Red Sox already have enough outfield depth with Yoshida, Rafaela, and Duran, so it won’t make any sense to add an outfielder. But the Red Sox can still have an offensive bat in the infield who will also give them some defensive value.

Boston entered the season expecting postseason contention, but the inconsistent results have defined how the season has gone. Despite a high payroll and strong offseason talk, the team sits at a 32–46 record and last in the AL East. The expectations were at least a Wild Card push, but that is also looking tough.

Still, the front office has not fully given up on the season yet. 

When you look at the field, the biggest issue is balance across the lineup and the infield. Injuries to Trevor Story and Isiah Kiner-Falefa have forced changes at second base and shortstop and have disrupted the flow for Boston. Marcelo Mayer has been shifted around just to keep the infield stable. And that is why the Red Sox need to make a move during the deadline. 

And Isaac Paredes stands out as the clearest target, bringing right-handed power and production from Houston. With an average of .249 and 10 homers, he will add the offensive impact that the Red Sox are searching for from the infield.  

Another name that the Sox can go after is Luis Arráez. The Red Sox lack a middle order right hand bat who can produce consistently on the plate. And with Arráez, Boston will get a player with a .321 average built on contact hitting and consistent base pressure.  

The last name on the list is Oswald Peraza. With the Angels not doing well, they will be looking to sell and get some prospects in return, and that is why the Red Sox could go get Peraza. 

With Peraza, the Red Sox will get youth, speed, and control with a .261 average and seven home runs. He will fit right into the role of a middle-of-the-lineup at bat. But the major question Boston will have to ask is whether adding a bat can actually fix deeper lineup problems.  

Adding offense like Paredes, Arráez, or Peraza may only soften the problem, but the rest of the team will also need to step up their game.