Roman Anthony hasn't appeared in a game since May 4. Since then, some Boston Red Sox fans have speculated that the team hasn't been entirely honest about his injury.
The Red Sox initially announced his diagnosis as a wrist sprain and said it could've been minor enough that he wouldn't need a stint on the injured list. Then, on May 7, Boston placed Anthony on the 10-day IL (retroactive to May 5), right around the time the outfielder seemingly tried to hide a brace in his pocket during a media availability with multiple reporters.
During that interview, Anthony told reporters his injury was actually a sprained ligament in his right fourth finger, but even that statement didn't clear up confusion. In the weeks since his injury, Red Sox fans and some media have posited that the ligament in his hand is actually torn (a sprained ligament is not always torn, it can be stretched or partially torn).
Finally, on May 28, nearly a month since he's last hit a baseball, Anthony confirmed in an interview with Rob Bradford of WEEI that he does have a partially-torn carpometacarpal (CMC) ligament in his right ring finger. This directly contradicts a statement team CEO and president Sam Kennedy made on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" when he said there was "no evidence of a tear" in Anthony's scans.
Roman Anthony contradicts Red Sox, confirms partial tear in his ring finger CMC joint
It doesn't make much sense for the Red Sox to mislead fans and reporters about the nature of Anthony's injury, but every time Anthony speaks, he reveals something that makes it seem like that's what's happening. Anthony has been upfront about his injury — he's the one who confirmed it wasn't a wrist sprain and now that there's a partial tear in the ligament while the Red Sox have given different reports.
Even if Anthony's injury is more severe than fans were initially led to believe, he's finally progressing toward his return to action. He was slated to hit off a tee for the first time before Boston's series finale against the Atlanta Braves on May 28, the first time he's hit a baseball since he was shut down.
Red Sox fans and others around MLB have come for Anthony about his pain tolerance and the perceived inability to play through an injury the team has described as a sprain. It's nice to see him take matters into his own hands and confirm that his injury is more severe than Boston has let on, but why it's misled fans about the nature of the injury remains a mystery.
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