“We keep going, just like we did with Casas [after the injury] and how we did after the [Devers] trade,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora sounded confident after Roman Anthony was reported to miss four to six weeks with a left oblique strain. Yes, the team is surely successfully mitigating the absence of Devers, and to some extent, Casas, but Anthony? Well, that has been a bridge too far.

With Roman Anthony, the Red Sox suddenly had a guy who was producing at an elite level. He’s setting the tone and getting four or five trips to the plate every night. Just before getting sidelined, the rookie finished with a .292 average and an .859 OPS over 71 games. Thus quickly became Boston’s most reliable bat since his debut in June. However, as analyst Lenny DiNardo pointed out, the Red Sox are a long way from finding someone who can replicate what Anthony brought to the table.

“The line of demarcation between September 2nd, the day that Roman Anthony went down, and today is completely different. The kid had a great eye. He was taking hit-free bags. He was driving the baseball, hitting the ball hard consistently. We started to see the long ball come around as well,” DiNardo shared in a NESN podcast what the Red Sox look like post-Anthony’s departure.

Take a look at how the Red Sox’ numbers went down since June, and you will know the impact of Anthony’s absence.

Since June 30, the Red Sox have been on a roll with their bats coming alive. Over the next 55 games, they averaged 5.4 runs per game and looked like one of the toughest lineups in baseball. But these numbers dropped drastically once Anthony got sidelined. Since September 2, the offense has cooled off. In the 10 games played without the rookie, Boston has hit just .244 with a .296 OBP and a .384 slugging percentage.

What’s more is that they managed only 4.1 runs per game. Hence, that’s a big drop in offense for the Red Sox. And in this scene, Cora could only hope that the team gets back their rookie slugger at least by the postseason.

The Red Sox’s postseason success depends largely on Roman Anthony

Yes, the Red Sox have got names like Alex Bregman and Ceddane Rafaela. But most of their elite hitters are in a slump this month. For reference, Bregman is hitting .216, Ceddanne Rafaela is hitting .105, and Jarren Duran is hitting .227. Hence, Roman Anthony’s absence is even more evident. Now, the million-dollar question is when the Red Sox will get their star rookie back.

As per the latest update about his injury, the usual recovery window will be about 4–6 weeks. That means Anthony could be back in early October. And so, with the regular season ending on Sunday, September 28, the only way we’d see him again is in the postseason. But even then, probably not for the wild-card round, where Boston will likely end up.

Probably the first playoff series will wrap up by October 3. Hence, the earliest Anthony might return would be for the Division Series, assuming the Red Sox make it that far. In the meantime, the Sox need to find another way to spark their offense. Someone who would be better off focusing on just getting on base and keeping the line moving. Fortunately, Gold Glove outfielder Wilyer Abreu is set to return soon, and he might be the jolt this lineup needs.

Will that be enough to drag the Red Sox into the postseason? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.