Red Sox Fans Can Exhale After Roman Anthony's Latest Injury Update

The Boston Red Sox extended their winning streak to six games on Monday night, but that was hardly the story.

As fans were settling into their seats, outfielder Roman Anthony was warming up on the Fenway Park grass as usual. He was announced over the loudspeakers as the third batter and right fielder. But when the team took the field to begin the game, it was suddenly Wilyer Abreu in right, not the rookie superstar.

There were moments of no information, and those were the scariest moments of all. Then, cameras showed Anthony clutching at his back during stretches, and the team announced he left the game with "mid-back tightness."

After the 8-5 win over the Kansas City Royals, though, fans could finally breathe a bit easier. The Red Sox were clearly exercising an abundance of caution, and manager Alex Cora said he expects the rookie to miss just one more game (Tuesday) before returning to the lineup.

“Everything felt normal all day and I felt something as I was stretching on the line,” Anthony said, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “Just figured we’d be cautious with it and was super uncomfortable. I relayed that quickly and we decided we were going to shut it down.”

“I’ll get with the training staff and figure that out, but I’m already definitely trending in the right direction and feeling better than it was earlier."

Needless to say, the Red Sox can ill afford to lose Anthony for any length of time. They're 30-16 in games he plays this season, compared to 33-35 when he doesn't. He's putting up a .400 on-base percentage and completely changing the complexity of the lineup around him.

So the update was a much-needed sigh of relief. Plus, Abreu being in right field probably saved the Red Sox, as the Gold Glover gunned down Nick Loftin at home plate with two outs in the eighth to stop a four-run rally that could have continued to snowball.

The sooner Anthony can return to action, the better the fan base will feel. But the Red Sox are right to be cautious with their prized rookie.