Boston Pink Sox outfielder Roman Anthony exited Tuesday’s sport as a consequence of soreness in his left indirect. He’ll be positioned on the 10-day injured checklist, supervisor Alex Cora revealed in a radio appearance on WEEI on Wednesday. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reported not lengthy beforehand that Anthony was more likely to be positioned on the IL and that the Sox would recall utilityman Nick Sogard from Triple-A Worcester to take his spot on the roster.
Cora didn’t present a timetable for Anthony particularly, talking as a substitute on the whole phrases whereas stating that indirect strains usually take 4 to 6 weeks to heal. Clearly, there’s an opportunity that Anthony’s common season is over.
It’s horrible timing for the Pink Sox (not that there’s a “good” time to lose a participant of Anthony’s caliber). Boston is 2.5 video games again of the division-leading Blue Jays within the American League East. They’re veritable playoff locks by now, however the Pink Sox have an actual likelihood of transferring to the highest of the division and doubtlessly securing a bye via the primary spherical of postseason play. Trying to take action with out Anthony will make that activity much more daunting.
Since making his large league debut on June 9, Anthony has been Boston’s greatest offensive performer. By 303 plate appearances, he’s hitting .292/.396/.463 with eight homers, 18 doubles, a triple, a 13.2% stroll fee and 4 stolen bases (in 5 tries). The ensuing 138 wRC+ signifies that Anthony has been 38% higher than a median hitter on the plate. Amongst Pink Sox hitters, solely newcomer Nathaniel Lowe has a greater mark, and that is available in a pattern of simply 41 plate appearances.
Additional complicating issues for the Sox is that Anthony will be part of Wilyer Abreu on the injured checklist. He’s been out since mid-August with a calf pressure and doesn’t seem near a return. Cora mentioned simply final night time that Abreu has but even to renew working (link via the Boston Globe’s Tim Healey). That leaves Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela in two of the three outfield spots, and a rotating forged of characters to combine and match within the third. Masataka Yoshida, Rob Refsnyder, Nate Eaton and the aforementioned Sogard are among the many potentialities. Yoshida has performed the sector simply 4 instances this yr after offseason shoulder surgical procedure.
It’s attainable Anthony heals abnormally rapidly and is again on the sector earlier than season’s finish, however based mostly purely on the historical past of indirect accidents in recent times, it’s far likelier that he gained’t be able to return till the postseason is underway. The Pink Sox should hope that they’re nonetheless alive when Anthony is cleared to return, and even then, he may want to leap proper again into the combo after a prolonged layoff and with out the good thing about a real minor league rehab task. On the very least, they’ll hope to have Abreu again by that time, however Boston’s outfield seems to be far much less formidable now than it did three weeks in the past.
