The Boston Red Sox's offense has stalled since they placed Roman Anthony on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain on September 3.
The former No. 1 prospect brought life to Boston's streaky offense after a brief adjustment period following his debut. Anthony slashed .292/.396/.463 with an .859 OPS over 71 games in the major leagues, with a .344/.388/.557 slash line in his last 15 games. The Red Sox have posted two three-game losing streaks since his absence began at the start of the month, and despite their need for a spark, it doesn't sound like Anthony will be back any time soon.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora shared over the weekend that Anthony may have been cleared to begin walking on a treadmill as part of his recovery. Unfortunately, the young slugger has a long way to go before he returns to the field.
Roman Anthony only cleared to walk on treadmill as Red Sox anxiously await return from IL
Red Sox beat reporter Ian Browne of MLB.com said in a recent mailbag that the earliest he can imagine Anthony returning is the first Wild Card round, which runs from September 30-October 2. That seems like a tight turnaround given his progress, and it's much earlier than Cora's estimate — the skipper told Anthony to envision the first at-bat of the ALCS as he recovers. Based on Boston's play without Anthony on the roster, it'll be a challenge to make it that far.
Hopefully, Anthony's outlook changes soon, as the Red Sox desperately need his ability to get on base and add length to the lineup as they push for the playoffs. At the same time, Anthony is young and was never supposed to be the "savior" of this year's team, so Boston may take care not to force him back into action before he's ready.
Wilyer Abreu still on pace to return from calf injury during Red Sox's series against A's or Rays
Luckily, the Red Sox expect another outfielder back from injury soon. Wilyer Abreu is still on pace to be activated sometime during the week of September 14, either during Boston's series against the A's or Rays.
Christopher Smith of MassLive reported that the Red Sox are targeting 90% health for Abreu to return to the field. On September 13, the Red Sox categorized him as 86% using a Catapult vest. Two days later, the outfielder told Rob Bradford of WEEI that he "felt good running the bases" on September 15.
Abreu and Anthony falling injured at the same time is a rough break for the Red Sox — both are critical offensively (Abreu leads the team in home runs) and they're excellent defenders. Abreu's return will be a huge lift for a struggling Boston team.
Red Sox still have not cleared Dustin May to start throwing
The Sox's starting pitching depth has also taken a serious hit in recent weeks. Dustin May, their only starting pitching acquisition at the trade deadline, was placed on the IL with elbow neuritis, retroactive to September 6.
May has still not been cleared to throw, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, which makes it hard to imagine the Red Sox getting him back this year. A return hasn't been officially ruled out, but with two weeks left in the regular season, it seems unlikely Boston will have him back before the postseason, if at all.
May hasn't been great on the mound since the Sox brought him in at the trade deadline, with a 5.40 ERA, 26 strikeouts and 13 walks over 28.1 innings. Still, any and all pitching depth is critical in the playoff hunt, and losing may with Richard Fitts and many others on the IL fresh after Walker Buehler's release has been troublesome for the Red Sox. Connelly Early made an excellent start in May's place, though, and if he can continue that pace, the loss will be lessened.