Red Sox Make Roman Anthony Decision After Missing Royals Game

Aug 5, 2025 3:27 PM EDT

On Monday night, the Boston Red Sox defeated the Kansas City Royals 8-5 to secure their sixth consecutive win and their ninth win in their last 11 games. With the end of the regular season approaching, this final stretch will be crucial for Boston as they aim to return to the postseason for the first time since 2021.

Despite the Red Sox’ victory, one of the main storylines was around rookie outfielder Roman Anthony, who was a late scratch on Monday due to back tightness.

Ahead of their game against Kansas City on Tuesday, the Red Sox made an official decision regarding the 21-year-old after missing Monday’s game.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony (19). — Source: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

After a slow start to his MLB career after getting called up in June, Anthony has drastically turned things around and is now a crucial part of Boston’s success. Unfortunately for him and the team, he will also be held out on Tuesday as he is not in the lineup against the Royals.

Roman Anthony Breaks Silence on Late Scratch

Following Boston’s victory on Monday, the Florida native was asked about his injury. Anthony revealed that, despite it happening suddenly, he already felt that he was “trending in the right direction.”

“Came out to the line, everything felt normal all day, and [I] felt something as I was stretching on the line and just figured we’d be cautious with it…It was super sudden… already definitely trending in the right direction,” Anthony said.

On Monday, Wilyer Abreu filled in for Anthony in his absence, and he remains in the lineup on Tuesday. As it stands, it seems like a real possibility that Anthony will return to the lineup for Wednesday’s game against Kansas City, though this will be worth monitoring until something becomes official.

Since the beginning of July, Anthony has been fantastic for the Red Sox. In 27 games across that span, he has been hitting .330 at the plate with a .929 OPS. Additionally, he has recorded one home run and 13 RBIs and has recently been batting third in Boston’s lineup.

Anthony has an incredibly bright future, and he will be a crucial part of their short-term and long-term success. He will not turn 22 years old until next season, and the sky is the limit for him. For now, however, his and the team’s focus is on making it back to the playoffs, where they are currently 2.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners for the first AL Wild Card spot.