As Roman Anthony stretched and warmed up minutes before the first pitch of the Boston Red Sox's second series against the Kansas City Royals, he reached for his back.
The young outfielder quickly spoke with trainers and left the field to be examined. He was scratched from the lineup soon after. Wilyer Abreu played in Anthony's stead and was, arguably, the player of the game (2-3, run, RBI), but fans' concerns persisted throughout the evening. Luckily, Anthony's injury doesn't appear serious.
“I’ll stay away from [Anthony] tomorrow,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after the game on Monday. “He’ll be okay to play tomorrow, but he took today off, he’ll get tomorrow too.”
During the game, the Red Sox announced Anthony had back tightness. Boston didn't send him for an MRI, but it's being exceptionally cautious with his recovery. Cora will give him two straight days off to ensure he's healthy before he next takes the field. Anthony hasn't had much time off since shortly after he was called up to the big leagues, so his break is well-timed.
Roman Anthony scratched from Red Sox's series opener against Royals with back tightness
Roman Anthony provides an update on his back tightness:
— NESN (@NESN) August 5, 2025
"It was super sudden... already definitely trending in the right direction." pic.twitter.com/yfejbvU7aq
“I came out to the line, everything felt normal all day. I felt something as I was stretching on the line and just figured we’d be cautious with it. I was super uncomfortable and relayed that quickly, and just decided we were gonna shut it down,” Anthony said to reporters after the game.
It's wise for the Red Sox to be careful with Anthony's playing time for the next few days. He's been one of, if not the best and most consistent bat in Boston's lineup for over a month, and losing him to an injury could seriously hurt its momentum and chances in the second half. Anthony is slashing .283/.400/.428 with an .828 OPS over 46 games this season, and .348/.447/.500 in his last 30 appearances.
Anthony has also been one of the most clutch bats in the lineup lately, and the Sox need him to stay alive in their difficult second-half schedule. The 21-year-old collected his first walk-off on August 1 against the Astros, and he's batting .385/.500/.538 in 35 chances with runners in scoring position.
The Red Sox dodged a bullet with Anthony's injury, and they didn't really need him to beat the Royals commandingly, 8-5. Boston will be going for a series win or a sweep when he suits up again on Wednesday night.