Boston Red Sox

Anthony said he swings a light bat when he feels up for it once in a while, but still isn’t taking true swings yet.

By Kaley Brown

June 13, 2026 | 5:27 PM

2 minutes to read

Nearly six weeks after he injured his left wrist against the Detroit Tigers on May 4, Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony continues to feel discomfort when he takes light swings.

Anthony, 22, told reporters before Saturday’s game against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park he is making progress, but not nearly at the speed at which he originally hoped.

“It’s progressing, progressing a lot slower than I’d imagined at the beginning of this, but definitely progressing, which is the biggest thing,” Anthony said (via the Boston Herald’s Mac Cerullo). “It’s just pain, that’s what it was and until it’s not that I’ll be here, but as soon as it feels like it starts to get a whole lot better I’m sure we’ll have a better idea of where we’re at and how it’s going to go from here.”

The left-handed hitter experienced a setback late last month, which continues to stand in the way of his rehab. He attempted to hit off a tee on May 28, but experienced pain in his hand and hasn’t resumed taking true swings.

Anthony told reporters he has taken “light” swings since then, but not routinely.

“Obviously it’s not agonizing pain if we’re swinging at this point, but it’s enough pain to where we’re not doing more than the amount that we’re doing,” he explained.

Anthony said he hasn’t undergone further imaging since he initially got hurt. He and the team continue to treat the injury as a partial ligament tear despite facing setbacks with discomfort. He also confirmed he received one cortisone shot around the same time as his meetings with doctors and hasn’t had another.

Though the Red Sox never gave an official recovery timeline for Anthony, he said six to eight weeks has been the general goal. Monday will be the six-week mark since he was injured.

“They’ve continued to tell me that nothing about this process has been unusual from a time standpoint,” Anthony said. “But for me obviously it’s frustrating.”

Considering Anthony has yet to resume his hitting program after pausing it more than two weeks ago, it’s difficult to estimate his return to play. It’s impossible to know how long it will take for him to return to full strength and then complete a minor league rehab assignment before resuming MLB game play.

It’s been a tough season for Anthony, even before his injury. Through 30 games, he batted .229 with a .675 OPS and just one home run.

He was a phenom in the 71 games he played for Boston after getting promoted last June. A left oblique strain cut his season short in September, which caused him to miss the club’s wild-card series against the New York Yankees.

Nevertheless, the organization and fans alike had high expectations for the youngster entering this season. Anthony was never quite able to settle in at the plate, but showed flashes of what he was capable of in some of the games leading up to his injury.

The Red Sox signed Anthony to an eight-year, $130 million contract extension just two months after getting called up from Triple-A. There’s no reason to believe he won’t become the All-Star-caliber player many hoped he would become, but injuries have halted the possibility of that coming to fruition any time soon.