Before their series opening win against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 23, the Boston Red Sox gave multiple injury updates, including information on Roman Anthony and sidelined pitchers.
Unfortunately, the update on Anthony's condition is far from encouraging. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow traveled with the Red Sox to Toronto, where he spoke about the rookie's recovery progress.
“Yeah, but just like being around him a little bit, you can see he's getting more comfortable. When it first happened, you could look at him and tell that he was in quite a bit of discomfort and pain. That has subsided, but there's still quite a bit of room to get to in terms of baseball activity,” Breslow said (per Ian Browne of MLB.com).
At least Anthony's discomfort has subsided, but his ramp-up to baseball activities will take quite some time after his September 2 oblique injury. The 21-year-old walked on a treadmill last week, which was far from the positive update Red Sox fans hoped for, and Breslow's latest comments don't suggest he's made any more progress.
Slugging Red Sox rookie Roman Anthony still far away from resuming baseball activities
The Red Sox's offense has rebounded slightly since its skid after losing Anthony to the injured list, but he would still be one of their most critical offensive contributors. Anthony slashed .311/.394/.504 in his last 30 games, and he brought new length to Boston's lineup out of the leadoff spot.
The Red Sox have not provided a timeline for Anthony's return, but given that he's still a ways away from baseball activities, it's hard to imagine him returning to the field any time soon. Tim Healey of The Boston Globe estimates that he won't be ready until the ALCS at the absolute earliest, and Alex Cora told Anthony to envision the ALCS while he recovers. If the Red Sox don't make it that far this postseason, they may not see Anthony again until next year.
Brennan Bernardino, Jordan Hicks and Dustin May all at varying stages of recovery, could join Red Sox again this season
On a more positive note, the Red Sox could get three pitchers back from the IL soon. Brennan Bernardino, Jordan Hicks (shoulder tendonitis) and Dustin May (elbow neuritis) are all ramping up to potentially return this season.
Bernardino, who has been one of Boston's most used relievers this year, has been sidelined since September 10 with a lat strain. Breslow said on September 23 that his strain symptoms have disappeared entirely, and that the lefty is "pushing as hard as he can" to return to the roster.
Hicks has played catch and May threw a bullpen session on September 17. No official timeline for anyone's return has been released, but Boston should think long and hard before adding Hicks back to the roster despite its thin bullpen depth. Hicks has posted an 8.20 ERA, a 1.98 WHIP, 15 strikeouts and 12 walks over 18.2 innings since he came to the Red Sox in the Rafael Devers trade, and he's been a consistent liability out of the bullpen.