When Roman Anthony on May 4 paused his first-inning at bat to examine his hand, Boston Red Sox fans feared the worst. Interim manager Chad Tracy and a trainer also checked out Anthony's hand, but he was determined healthy enough to continue his at-bat.
But the next inning, Masataka Yoshida was in the game for Anthony. Fortunately, the sophomore outfielder avoided a severe diagnosis and was initially classified as day-to-day with a wrist sprain (Anthony said he sprained a ligament in his left ring finger). Anthony has been out of the lineup since Monday healing and the Red Sox hoped to avoid an injured list stint for him.
But they couldn't continue playing with an unused spot on their roster. Hours before their first pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 7, Boston decided to put Anthony on the IL to call Mickey Gasper up to take his roster spot (first reported by Tim Healey of The Boston Globe).
Anthony can be placed on the IL retroactive to May 5. Multiple sources have reported that his condition hasn't worsened, but he's still at least a few days out from playing, so Boston decided to bolster its roster with an extra player while he heals. The Red Sox do not expect Anthony to need a rehab assignment before he returns to action, which could be as soon as May 15.
Red Sox place Roman Anthony on IL despite hopes he wouldn't need a long rest
Here is Roman Anthony talking about his hand injury (yes, it’s more hand than wrist): pic.twitter.com/23eipTrK2Z
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) May 7, 2026
Anthony was just beginning to heat up offensively when his injury occurred. He slashed .269/.345/.346 in his last seven games. Hopefully, he can pick up right where he left off offensively upon his return to the Red Sox.
This will be Gasper's first appearance in the major leagues this season. The utility infielder spent the 2024 season mostly in the Red Sox's minor league system before making his major league debut late in the year. In 2025, Boston traded him to the Minnesota Twins for Jovani Morán, then picked him up again off waivers from the Washington Nationals this winter. Gasper is slashing .296/.429/.519 with six doubles, six homers and 27 RBI through 28 games with the WooSox this year.
Ranger Suárez's hamstring is progressing but Red Sox still aren't sure if he'll make his next scheduled start
Along with Boston's rather unfortunate update on Anthony are reports that Ranger Suárez is feeling better after his hamstring tightened up on him during his May 3 start. The Red Sox hoped they could avoid an IL stint for Suárez and they may end up being right.
Boston is still not certain if Suárez will make his next start, however. On a regular, five-day schedule, Suárez would be scheduled to pitch on May 8, but the Red Sox have more than enough pitchers up to give him another week of rest if he isn't ready to go. Payton Tolle, Jake Bennett, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello and Connelly Early are all still on the major league roster and they could pitch another full cycle if Suárez needs more rest.
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