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Top Boston Red Sox prospect Roman Anthony could avoid a lengthy injured-list stay after a sports doctor predicted a quicker-than-expected return timeline.

The Boston Red Sox received encouraging Roman Anthony injury news Friday after a sports doctor predicted a short IL stay for their cornerstone outfielder.

Anthony himself has targeted May 15, the first day he becomes eligible to come off the 10-day injured list, as his return date. The update comes as Boston searches for offensive consistency and waits to see whether Anthony can return quickly enough to factor into the club’s summer plans, with fans closely monitoring every development surrounding MLB’s former top-ranked prospect.

Anthony’s Injury Is Finger Sprain, Not Wrist

When the Boston Red Sox placed Anthony on the injured list Thursday, the initial designation pointed to a right wrist sprain suffered on a check swing during Monday’s game in Detroit. That framing alarmed fans. Wrist injuries in hitters can linger and cause drastic power drops. But the diagnosis that emerged Friday is more encouraging.

Anthony clarified the nature of the injury when he spoke to reporters at Fenway Park.

“There’s so much that goes on in the hand, and I’ve never dealt with a hand issue before,” he said. “Just getting the news back, understanding that it’s nothing very serious, is the best news we could have gotten. The treatment is pretty simple, trying to get a lot of blood flow circulating around the wrist and the arm. Just a little sprain. The ligament near the ring finger. Nothing that will take too long,” as quoted by MLB.com‘s Ian Browne.

Sports medicine physician Dr. Jesse Morse weighed in on X with his assessment. The injury is a finger sprain, not a wrist injury, and the distinction should bring “a sigh of relief,” he asserted. Morse added that the more serious diagnoses, jersey finger and mallet finger, are unlikely since both typically require four to eight or more weeks of recovery. His bottom line: Anthony should be ready the moment his IL stint expires.

What Anthony’s Return Means for the Red Sox

The 10-day IL designation was made retroactive to Wednesday, May 7, putting Anthony on track to return as early as Friday, May 15, in Atlanta. Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy confirmed the team had been shorthanded for two days before making the roster move and said the club remains optimistic, according to MLB.com.

In 30 of Boston’s first 38 games, the 21-year-old left fielder has hit .229 with a .354 on-base percentage and a .321 slugging mark. The slash line is modest, but his Baseball Savant profile tells another story. Walk rate, chase rate, bat speed, hard-hit rate and exit velocity all grade above average, according to WEEI‘s Rob Bradford. FanGraphs data also shows Anthony ranking fifth among all MLB outfielders in Defensive Runs Saved at plus-6, according to analyst Thomas Nestico.

While Anthony has been sidelined, Masataka Yoshida is covering most of his at-bats at DH, with Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu handling the outfield. Abreu has been the offensive standout, carrying a .906 OPS over his last 12 games, but Boston’s long-term blueprint centers on Anthony, Bradford wrote.