The MLB All-Star Game and the midpoint of the season are about a month away, and Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony are seemingly no closer to returning to the Boston Red Sox than they were a few weeks ago.
At least Crochet cleared up the misunderstanding that his newer lat injury isn't far worse than anyone expected, but there's still no return in sight for the ace. Recent commentary on Anthony's injury, a fourth-finger CMC ligament tear, is even less encouraging.
There has been much confusion about the nature and severity of Anthony's injury following conflicting reports from the team and the outfielder himself. Alex Speier of The Boston Globe on June 15 published an interview with Dr. Mark Cohen of Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush University, who offered some perspective on Anthony's diagnosis (subscription required).
“I’ve been doing this 32 years. I actually have never heard of a ring finger-isolated CMC ligament tear,” Cohen said. “The joints in which the ligaments get injured are usually not the CMC level … They’re at the knuckle or joints within the fingers. If you look up ring finger ligament sprain, you’ll find nothing — zero — because it’s not a common injury.”
Doctor validates Red Sox's confusion about Roman Anthony's rare hand injury
Speier reports that the rarity of Anthony's injury prevents the Red Sox from offering a clear timetable for his recovery, one of the main disagreements on his condition. Initially, Boston thought he might be able to get back into action after a day or two of rest, but he still can't swing a bat without pain. At least the Red Sox now have a better excuse for all their inconsistent reports.
Boston hoped to rely on Anthony as a key offensive contributor this season — not only did his slow start at the plate (.229/.354/.321 slash line over 30 games) not help the struggling Sox much, more of his season is destined to be lost to his rare injury. Red Sox fans envisioned Anthony as an All-Star and MVP candidate in 2026 and his injury is just another disappointment to add to an already long list.
There's no surgery or intervention that will make Anthony's hand heal more quickly. All the Red Sox have to do is wait. Anthony has already been sidelined since May 4 and Boston has been itching to see him back in action since then.
A rare injury never before seen by a doctor seems like typical Red Sox bad luck for this season, but it doesn't make Anthony's long absence feel any better. The former top prospect doesn't have much of an injury history in the minor leagues, so hopefully this one is Anthony's last for a while, as he's played just 101 games since he debuted on June 9, 2025.
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