Once again, the Boston Red Sox will be without Roman Anthony for the playoffs. After being removed from the game in the sixth inning of Game 1 against the New York Yankees, the Red Sox sent him back to Boston overnight for more imaging on the hand he injured earlier in the season. The results showed aggravation of his precious injury, as well as new strains in his wrist.
Reports from the Red Sox today said that this injury will keep Anthony out for the foreseeable future. The Red Sox officially removed Anthony from the playoff roster, meaning he is done for the Wild Card and division series, at least. If he is healthy, he could be added to the ALCS roster if Boston makes it.
Because Anthony was removed due to an injury, the Red Sox are allowed to replace him on the roster. Speculation early in the day was between two players, and ultimately, the Sox chose Curtis Mead.
Red Sox hope Curtis Mead continues early season breakout to keep them alive against Yankees
The Red Sox are replacing Roman Anthony on their roster with Curtis Mead, a source tells ESPN.
— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) September 30, 2026
The Red Sox acquired Mead a week before the trade deadline, sending back a highly touted young pitcher, Connelly Early. Mead was in the midst of a breakout season when Boston acquired him. After bouncing around a few franchises, he settled in with the Washington Nationals this season.
Mead batted .254 with an .852 OPS in 87 games with the Nationals. He logged 17 doubles, 17 home runs, and 48 RBI. He had an almost 12% walk rate with a strikeout rate under 20%; he was one of just 22 hitters with more than 300 at-bats to do that this season. While some were wary that the infielder's breakout wasn't sustainable, his underlying metrics suggested what was happening was real.
The 25-year-old was supposed to add major pop to the Sox lineup. Unfortunately, just two at-bats into his Red Sox career, he was hit on the wrist with a pitch, causing a fracture. The injury cost him the rest of the regular season. Most of Red Sox Nation assumed it was going to be a "see you next year" scenario, but he worked his way back to health, and now the team is calling on him to step in for Anthony.
Mead has not been substituted into the lineup for Game 2 of the Wild Card, and according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo the Red Sox aren't expected to add him. Although he's not in the starting nine, it's very likely Red Sox Nation will see him pinch hit in the win-or-go-home game.
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