Red Sox Provide Discouraging Roman Anthony Update

It is yet another discouraging update for the young star who, despite the club's confidence that he could avoid an IL stint immediately after the injury, is encroaching on a month of missed time with no real progress toward a return.

Anthony's first major setback came on May 18th when he reported soreness following a swinging progression. This shut him down for a few days, but it appeared he had made great progress earlier this week when MassLive's Chris Cotillo reported that Anthony was feeling "much better" and the club was “encouraged that he has turned a corner.”

On Thursday, Anthony told Rob Bradford on the Baseball Isn't Boring podcast that he is handling all other baseball activities fine, and that swinging the bat without pain is the only major obstacle blocking his return.

Additionally, Anthony clarified his injury to Bradford, explaining that he has a partial tear of a ligament in the base of his ring finger. This was notable because both CEO and president Sam Kennedy and president of baseball operations Craig Breslow have gone on record to deny that the young star is dealing with a tear.

The difference between a sprain, strain, or partial tear is likely negligible, but Boston's continued efforts to downplay the injury is interesting considering the fact that it has clearly impacted him enough to where he cannot even hit off the tee without discomfort.

Looking back to the first few days after the injury, the general sentiment echoed throughout the walls of the clubhouse was that Anthony was dealing with something minor that may not even need an IL stint. Since then, it's been characterized as a pain tolerance issue that can resolve quickly as soon as swinging feels manageable.

Now, the Red Sox have no clear timetable set for Anthony's return and are likely looking at mid-to-late June at the very best. As we continue to monitor his progress, it is difficult to imagine that the issue resolves itself without some additional and potentially significant time off.