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The Boston Red Sox have been without budding star Roman Anthony for the last week or so. The outfielder suffered a freak hand/finger injury during a check swing against the Detroit Tigers on May 4. A few days later, he was subsequently placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to May 5.

This would mean that Anthony is officially eligible to return to the Red Sox lineup on May 15. This, however, appears to be a long shot. Boston’s interim manager, Chad Tracy, was initially hopeful that the slugger would miss the minimal time away. Nevertheless, the coach recently told reporters on May 12 that the star has yet to resume baseball activities.

Tracy has since made an appearance on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show to discuss several Red Sox topics. He was, of course, asked about Anthony’s progress. The host specifically quizzed Tracy about when the outfielder would be able to return to the lineup. “I’m hoping quickly,” replied Tracy before going a bit further.

“But again, the nature of that injury… It really is a matter of waiting for it to heal, and that could happen very quickly. I know there’s been some ambiguity about that. You know, people see him with the brace on, [but] the brace is just to keep it stable to allow it to heal faster. But it’s hard for me to give you an answer. It could be this road trip, maybe it isn’t… I know that’s a bit of a vague answer, but we’re still hopeful.”

Boston Red Sox Need Roman Anthony Healthy to Make a Playoff Push

GettyBoston Red Sox star Roman Anthony was starting to heat up before injury.

The Boston Red Sox are set to finish off a home series with the Philadelphia Phillies on May 14 before heading out on the road. Boston will play three-game away sets against the Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Royals before heading back home on May 21. Tracy has not yet determined if Anthony will travel with his teammates on the road trip.

Anthony entered the 2026 season riding high after a strong performance at the World Baseball Classic with Team USA. Nevertheless, the outfielder has struggled throughout the early stages of the current campaign. He was slashing just .229/.354/.321 in 30 games before suffering the setback. Anthony, however, was starting to get hot at the plate, though. In fact, he recorded five hits in his last 13 at-bats.

Boston Also Dealing with Another Key Injury

Unfortunately, Anthony is not the only Boston Red Sox star on the injured list at the moment. Star pitcher Garrett Crochet is also on the sidelines. The ace is currently on the 15-day IL with a shoulder issue. He has recently completed a 20-pitch side session on May 13, though. Crochet recently revealed that he wants to skip a potential rehab assignment to return to Boston quicker.

The Red Sox will hope both stars can return to the Red Sox as soon as possible. At the moment, Boston is last in the ultra-competitive American League East. This comes after some MLB experts picked them to win the division. If the club wants to turn things around quickly, it will need Anthony and Crochet to be healthy and contributing.