The Boston Red Sox entered the 2025 postseason severely injured, with key bats like Roman Anthony, and multiple starting pitchers out of commission. There were also a few injured players playing through the pain — Carlos Narváez and Connor Wong both underwent surgery shortly after Boston's playoff elimination.
The Red Sox expect Anthony, Narváez and Wong to have healthy offseasons after their respective ailments have healed. Anthony finished the season on the IL with an oblique injury, Narváez underwent surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee and Wong had a carpal boss removed from his right hand.
Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe reported on November 10 that Anthony is fully healed. Oblique injuries are notorious in baseball since there are so many parts of the game that require twisting motions, from swinging to throwing. Abraham didn't state when Anthony was fully healed. Alex Cora told the young slugger to envision the first at-bat of the ALCS as he recovered, but his healing may have taken even longer than that — even if the Red Sox made it that far, Anthony may not have been able to appear in the postseason.
A full season with Anthony in the outfield will be critical to the Sox's offensive output, as they and fans saw as the offense went quiet without him late in the season. Anthony batted .292/.396/.463 with a .859 OPS, 18 doubles, a triple, eight homers and 32 RBI over 71 games. He placed third in American League Rookie of the Year voting after less than half a season in the majors, showing just how impactful a full season of work in the big leagues could be for Boston.
Red Sox Roman Anthony, Carlos Narváez and Connor Wong healing well after late-season injury and offseason surgeries
Narváez posted a breakout season behind the plate, but fell behind offensively in the second half. In early August, the catcher spent three days on the sidelines, but never went on the IL, with an unspecified knee injury — the fact that he posted the defensive season he did while injured as a rookie is amazing. Narváez batted .273/.347/.439 before the All-Star break and .187/.233/.387 after. A full season of Narváez's first half production would do wonders for Boston's offense.
It isn't clear what caused the carpal boss on Wong's dominant hand, but they can be caused by overuse or trauma, both of which could apply to the catcher. Wong fractured his hand in April and spent just under a month rehabbing before he was reinstated to the roster. He batted .190/.262/.238 over 63 appearances as the Sox's backup catcher. It's unclear when the carpal boss developed, but it could've hampered Wong's offensive production throughout the season.
It's great to hear that the Red Sox expect healthy offseasons from these critical players — Anthony is sure to be the face of the team next year and catchers are, arguably, the most important players on the field. Anthony and Narváez will be key bats for Boston in 2026 and beyond, and Wong may be able to build on his breakout 2024 season after his hand has healed.