The Boston Red Sox were dealt a brutal blow on Tuesday night when Roman Anthony was pulled from the game early with an apparent oblique injury. Anthony was hurt on an awkward swing in the fourth inning and he immediately grabbed at his lower back/left side.
Boston wasted little time in pulling him from the game, leaving fans to hope that it wasn't serious. Unfortunately, it does appear that Anthony's situation has taken a turn for the worse.
After the game, Red Sox manager Alex Cora confirmed that it was Anthony's oblique that was bothering him and that he was still quite sore. He also indicated Anthony was going to get a MRI, but that isn't that surprising given how important he is as a player and the nature of his injury.
What is more concerning are the comments straight from Anthony's mouth after the game. He said that he had never felt anything like this injury before and that is was worse than the back issue that caused him issues around a month ago.
Roman Anthony admits he’s never felt something like this oblique injury before
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) September 3, 2025
Notes it’s worse than whatever back injury he dealt with a month ago.
“Anytime I’m not out there, I’m pretty pissed off. It sucks.” pic.twitter.com/IQ7kZxPMdq
Based on Roman Anthony's post-injury comments, Red Sox fans need to brace for bad news
Oblique injuries are already bad news at the surface level. Most of the time, almost regardless of the severity, players get completely shut down for at least a week or two, and in more severe cases it stretches to a 1-2 month absence. With just a few weeks left in the 2025 season, that puts Anthony's season in jeopardy even if it's relatively minor.
Compounding the problem, Anthony's description of the injury provides some indication that the injury isn't mild. In comments to the media, Anthony was not shy in talking about the pain he was dealing with and how he knew something was wrong immediately. That doesn't sound like something that can be shaken off in a couple days.
Unfortunately, Boston probably can't easily replace what Anthony brings to their lineup. Anthony has been arguably the Red Sox's best player for a lot of the season with a .920 OPS since the beginning of July. He is breaking Red Sox franchise records and many already consider him to be the face of the organization.
Unless we get much better news than it sounds like we will, Red Sox fans may have to wait until 2026 to see Anthony in action again.