Roman Anthony disappeared from the dugout in the sixth inning of Game 1, leaving the Red Sox without their $130M rookie in a 9-0 drubbing. He was nowhere to be seen as the New York Yankees swept Game 1, leaving fans to wonder what happened to the 22-year-old. Then came manager Chad Tracy’s blunt update:

“It’s not great.”

Anthony’s sudden exit in the sixth inning was especially concerning because it involved the same hand and finger injury that had already cost him 101 games during the regular season. Imaging and concussion protocol reportedly followed, though the Red Sox have released few details, which has done little to calm the frustrated fans surrounding their prized youngster.

“Roman Anthony is out for the foreseeable future after imaging revealed multiple new strains in his hand and a re-aggravation of his previous injury,” Talkin’ Baseball quoted Chris Cotillo.

Anthony has been officially removed from the Red Sox postseason roster after sustaining new muscle strains in his right wrist and re-aggravating a prior injury during Game 1. MLB approved an official injury substitution.

Anthony has been replaced on the active roster with infielder Curtis Mead. This means Anthony will miss the remainder of the Wild Card Series and the ALDS if the Red Sox advance.

Anthony struck out twice against Cam Schlittler, unable to protect his injured wrist on check-swings.

“He took a check-swing, and then another swing, and his hand flared on him,” said Red Sox manager Chad Tracy. “And it got uncomfortable, so we had to make a move there.”

Anthony’s May tendon injury (check-swing foul in Detroit) cost him 101 games; his return lasted only weeks before Tuesday’s re-aggravation. Notably, Anthony also missed last year’s Wild Card series due to a left oblique strain. His injury history suggests a structural vulnerability in his wrist – two significant strains in one season raise durability concerns.

“It’s difficult,” Tracy admitted, describing the impact on the team.

“Obviously, it flares up on him and becomes uncomfortable, and you have to make a move there. So we’ll see what the next steps are, but yeah, it was difficult.” 

The Red Sox scrambled to fill the void.

Jahmai Jones moved to leadoff, Nate Eaton into left field, Curtis Mead off the bench. So, while Anthony was expected to anchor the lineup, his absence forced the Red Sox to rely on bench depth in a short series

The Red Sox had high hopes for Anthony after his promotion last year, riding on a .284 average across 5 seasons in the minors. He started well with a .292 average, but injuries derailed him.

This season proved no different. For Boston fans, no expectations are left for Roman Anthony.

Roman Anthony gets called out by the Red Sox fans

“Will go down as one of the biggest frauds in MLB history,” one fan exclaimed. After watching Anthony’s dominant start last year, the Red Sox were quick to offer him a $130 million contract for eight years. But he has played only 126 games since his debut.

“Kids a bust…. lol,” one user agreed.

“Speedy recovery for him, but he wasn’t going to make a difference regardless,” another added. Anthony batted .245 with five home runs in 2026. Since returning from the IL, he had hit .262 with four homers. So, nothing extraordinary for the fans to rethink.

“How do you get injured swinging a bat?” one more user reacted.

“Soft as baby s—,” another added.

Batters’ injuries in MLB could be from a dangerous slide, hit-by-pitch, or muscle strains. However, Anthony injured himself just by swinging his bat. While a desperate swing could have affected his injured wrist, Boston fans are not convinced and have written off Roman Anthony before his career has truly begun.