After a rough weekend in Atlanta, the hits keep on coming for the Boston Red Sox, who got some unfortunate news on outfielder Roman Anthony as he works his way back from a wrist sprain that landed him on the injured list nearly two weeks ago.
The 22-year-old Anthony exited the Red Sox' win over the Tigers on May 4 after injuring his wrist fighting off a pitch in his first at-bat. He returned to Boston, where it was determined that he required a trip to the injured list with a ligament sprain under one of his fingers.
After being shut down from all baseball activities while the injury healed, Anthony finally made the first step in his recovery, playing catch ahead of the Red Sox's Friday night loss to the Braves, with interim manager Chad Tracy telling reporters that the 22-year-old would begin a hitting progression during the team's trip to Kansas City.
Anthony began that hitting progression ahead of Monday night's series opener against the Royals, and according to Christopher Smith of MassLive.com, it did not go well, as he experienced soreness.
According to Smith, the Red Sox will shut down their star outfielder from swinging until the team returns home on Friday night, when they will host the Twins. "Obviously, we’re not going to have him swinging through soreness and discomfort. So not as good of news today. But we will back off and see what happens after the off day with a few more days of rest," Tracy told Smith ahead of Monday night's game.
The setback marks a massive blow for a Boston lineup that is in desperate need of a spark. Through 15 games in the month of May, the Red Sox offense has scored just 44 runs, the second-fewest in the league.
What does Anthony's timeline for return look like now?
According to Tracy, due to the nature of the injury, there is no set timeline for Anthony's return. "It's hard for me to answer, it could be this road trip, maybe it isn't...we just gotta see what he can handle and when he can handle it," he told WEEI's Greg Hill Show on Thursday morning.
For now, though, Tracy and the Red Sox will have to continue that waiting game as the ligament heals.
The Red Sox will kick off a three-game series with the Royals on Monday night. Sonny Gray will get the start for Boston opposite veteran righty Seth Lugo for Kansas City. First pitch from Kauffman Stadium set for 7:10 p.m. ET.
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