Red Sox star Roman Anthony hits another setback in injury rehab

The Red Sox will likely have to wait a little longer for their young star’s return to the diamond.

Outfielder Roman Anthony suffered a setback during his rehab process on Thursday and is now reportedly shut down, according to Boston manager Chad Tracy.

Tracy told reporters on Friday that Anthony “felt discomfort hitting off a tee” and that the 22-year-old “has been shut down from swinging…at least for a few days,” according to MassLive.

Boston Red Sox’s Roman Anthony, who is on the injured list, watches from the dugout rail during a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Thursday, May 28, 2026, in Boston. AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Anthony is recovering from an injury he suffered in a game against the Tigers earlier this month, with this being the second time he’s been shut down during his rehab. The first time occurred last week.

He last played on May 4, when he hurt his wrist while swinging a bat, and the Red Sox placed him on the 10-day injured list three days later.

The affliction has since been reclassified as a finger injury, with Anthony calling it a partially torn right ring finger ligament. But there is still some confusion about what exactly he is suffering from.

“I know stuff came out yesterday about ‘tear vs. sprain vs. strain’ and all these things. I don’t know what else to say other than a strain/sprain, it is a tear,” Tracy said. “If you strain a hamstring, that’s a partial tear.

“Fibers let go a little bit and they’ve got to heal. I don’t think anything was portrayed differently or wrongly.”

Tracy added that although Anthony’s time away from the field hurts his club, the best thing they can do is just wait and see.

Roman Anthony of the Boston Red Sox has his hand examined by trainer Brandon Henry (R) as interim manager Chad Tracy (C) looks on during the first inning of a game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on May 4, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. Getty Images

“The fact of the matter still remains that he’s got something in there and if there’s discomfort, we just have to wait,” he said. “Did we want it to go quicker? Yeah, but we can’t control the healing. If he’s got discomfort, we’ve got to wait.

“Is it going to go longer than we had originally hoped and thought? Yeah, but that’s just how it goes.”

Anthony was off to a slow start to his sophomore season before his injury, putting up a slash line of .229/.354/.321 with just one home run through 30 games.

He burst onto the scene during his rookie year, batting .292 with 18 doubles through 71 games in 2025, prompting the Red Sox to sign him to an eight-year, $130 million contract midway through his impressive campaign.