The Red Sox took a gut punch on Wednesday. It didn't look good on Tuesday night when Roman Anthony was pulled from the game. The faces in the dugout looked somber and concerned, but the news of him missing four to six weeks makes it all that much worse.
Anthony had been a driving force in Boston since his promotion. The Sox were 46-27 since he joined the team on June 9, and Anthony had raked, racking up 3.1 bWAR in his 71 games played. He was clearly the difference maker after the Rafael Devers trade.
But this is a fork in the road in the Red Sox season. They could either fall apart and tumble out of the playoff picture in September, or the other players on the squad can replace the production that was lost when Anthony hit the IL. So how can Boston manage to stay alive over the next four weeks?
3 Red Sox players who need to step up in wake of Roman Anthony's costly injury
Masataka Yoshida
Yoshida has really struggled this season. He got a late start, missing the first three months with a shoulder issue, and he hasn't really got right. He hasn't gotten regular playing time, but without Anthony taking an everyday slot in the outfield, the 32-year-old is sure to see more reps now.
He'll need to improve on his sub-.250 batting average and sub-.700 OPS. If he can find a semblance of his form from last season — a .280 batting average and 115 OPS+ with 31 extra base hits — he would plug a huge hole against righties. He'll certainly get more games at DH, and this may open some time for him in left field, but the most important thing right now is that he needs to find some consistency/power in his swing.
Ceddanne Rafaela
Since the All-Star break, Rafaela has really struggled. He's hitting a dreadful .203 with a .552 OPS. Some analysts have suggested that his splitting time between second and center since the break has really hurt him at the plate. Now, with Anthony done for the season and Wilyer Abreu's timeline unclear, he will be spending most of his time in center.
Getting back the Rafaela from before the All-Star break, when he hit .390 for the final 11 games, would be amazing. Even the June version of him would suffice — he hit .283 with an .870 OPS over that month of action.
Alex Bregman
Bregman has been in a massive drought for the last two weeks. The third baseman is hitting under .200 over his last 16 games with an OPS under .500. When he was rolling, he and Anthony at the top of the lineup were a force that few teams were able to stop. Now, with Anthony out and Bregman scuffling, that advantage has all but disappeared.
Jarren Duran will likely return to the leadoff spot with Anthony gone, which reignites the original plan the Red Sox had before the top prospect's arrival. If that duo can get in a rhythm for the final month and set the tone atop the lineup, the Red Sox may not miss a beat. But that'll require Bregman getting back on track.