For a few days, Boston Red Sox fans have been on the edge of their seats waiting for Roman Anthony to potentially be activated from his rehab assignment to start on August 28 against the New York Yankees.
Anthony told reporters on August 25 that he felt nearly ready to join the Red Sox after three long months on the injured list with a rare hand injury. He specifically noted that activation before the Sox's four-game series in the Bronx was a possibility, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.
But Boston won't have its star outfielder for the series opener. Anthony is in Worcester on Friday afternoon, according to Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, meaning he isn't expected in New York tonight.
After his August 27 outing for the WooSox — during which he went 2-for-4 with a double, a run and an RBI — he told Bridgette Proulx of NESN he felt he needed more time to rehab before he's ready to make the jump back to the big leagues.
Roman Anthony won't be activated before Red Sox's August 28 series opener against Yankees
“I’m getting more and more at bats, I’m getting to where I want to be at the plate. Am I quite there yet? Probably not. I’m getting close to where I want to be. And like I said, I’ll be ready when the time is right,” he said.
Anthony hasn't appeared in a major league game since May 4 and the Red Sox probably want to make absolutely certain he's ready and comfortable before they bring him back up. Plus, the Sox's lineup is so hot right now that they actually don't have much need for Anthony.
Picking which player to send down as the corresponding move for Anthony will be difficult given the tear the Sox's depth players have been on. Mickey Gasper is the lefty hitter Boston called up to take Masataka Yoshida's roster spot after a hamstring injury, and he's been raking like never before (.417/.576/1.167 slash line, five home runs over nine games in August). Nick Sogard has also been too clutch to ignore, with game-winning RBI after RBI. He's slashing .296/.424/.593 with two home runs, four RBI and seven strikeouts compared to six walks in his last seven games.
The Red Sox might go as far as waiting until rosters expand on September 1 to call Anthony up — making an option decision while its offense is humming is a lot to ask, especially before the team's biggest series of the season. Giving Anthony more time to warm up isn't a bad thing, although it would be great to see him crush the Yankees after a long time on the shelf.
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