As the Boston Red Sox played out a dark, gloomy and wet game against the Detroit Tigers on May 4, their fanbase held its collective breath. Roman Anthony left the game in the first inning after he appeared to injure his hand or wrist on a checked swing.
Anthony took a long pause in his at-bat against opener Tyler Holton to confer with Red Sox training staff and take some practice swings before he ultimately decided to continue his at-bat. He grounded out, took the field to play defense in the bottom of the first frame, then left the game in the second inning to get x-rays.
Red Sox Nation learned after the game that Anthony's x-rays came back negative, but Boston's training staff still wanted to send him to a hand specialist to ensure that nothing is wrong. Two hours before first pitch on May 5, the Red Sox announced that Anthony has a wrist sprain and they've categorized him as day-to-day (via Ian Browne of MLB.com).
Boston hopes Anthony won't need an injured list stint and that he can kick the injury quickly. Hopefully, it's correct — the outfielder was just starting to heat up at the plate, to the tune of a .269/.345/.346 slash line in his last seven games. A long-term stay on the bench could undo any of the progress he's made.
Red Sox announce Roman Anthony has a wrist sprain, consider him day-to-day
But the Red Sox have recently underestimated an injury of Anthony's. The sophomore was sidelined with back soreness just two weeks ago. Boston expected the pain to dissipate after one game on the bench, but Anthony missed four days as he recovered.
It should take at least a few days for Anthony to kick the wrist sprain, if the Red Sox's initial guess is correct. But there's no certainty in their timeline and they did not announce when they expect him to return to game action.
Red Sox expect Sonny Gray to return from IL on May 6 after minimum 15-day stint, will start series finale against Tigers
Along with the troubling Anthony news, the Red Sox gave a more positive injury update: Sonny Gray is expected to start their May 6 game, the series finale against the Tigers.
The Red Sox on April 21 placed Gray on the 15-day IL with a hamstring strain after his leg tightened up on him in his last start, which also happened to be against Detroit. Gray was quick to assume that his strain was minor, as he's dealt with hamstring issues before, and Boston was confident it would be able to pull him off the IL after the minimum 15-day stint.
Thankfully, it was correct. The Red Sox's rotation is in dire straits lately as Gray, Garrett Crochet, Johan Oviedo, Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval, and even depth starter Tyler Uberstine have been on the IL. Ranger Suárez also experienced a hamstring issue in his most recent start, but the Red Sox are hopeful to avoid an IL stint for him, although they're not yet certain if he'll make his next start.
Gray has logged a 4.30 ERA with 13 strikeouts and five walks over 23 innings so far this season. He was in the middle of a solid outing against the Tigers when his hamstring flared up. His return will bring a veteran presence, and ideally some stability, back to Boston's rotation before Crochet can come back to action.
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