Boston Red Sox fans held their breath when Roman Anthony didn't come out for his sixth-inning at-bat in Game 1 of the Wild Card series. Speculation about what happened quickly started flying on social media, with clips of him looking uncomfortable after a check swing in the final game of the season being a potential piece of evidence as to what went wrong.
Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said after the game that Anthony had already left the stadium and was unable to speak to the media. Tracy did say he removed him from the game after "his hand flared on him" and became "uncomfortable" after "a couple check swings in each of the at-bats." The Red Sox were unsure as of the postgame whether he would play in Game 2, but he isn't listed in their Game 2 starting lineup (subscription required). They may not need him to play, though.
One of the best things the Red Sox did this season was acquire Jahmai Jones from the Detroit Tigers after they designated him for assignment. Jones has been a lefty killer this season, very similar to what the Sox had with Rob Refsynder in previous seasons. Since he landed in Boston this year, Jones has a 192 WRC+ against left-handed pitching, and the New York Yankees' game two starter is southpaw, Max Fried.
Set for Game 2. pic.twitter.com/TSPiTr5hjQ
— Red Sox (@RedSox) September 30, 2026
The Red Sox two options to replace Roman Anthony aren't any worse than he has been
In 68 at-bats against lefties, Jones is slashing .316/.426/.632, resulting in a 1.058 OPS. He's got four home runs, four doubles, seven walks, and eight RBI against southpaws as a member of the Red Sox. But he was projected to play anyway. The reason Red Sox Nation may not have to worry as much about not having Anthony in Game 2, his numbers against lefties this season are actually slightly worse than Jarren Duran's.
It’s pretty scary that Roman Anthony’s hand was this cooked entering the game:
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) September 30, 2026
“The issue predated the game. Monasterio said he was notified prior to the game that he might have to replace Anthony due to the discomfort in his hand.” - via @alexspeier. pic.twitter.com/O6KcIGkCVl
To be clear, neither has excelled. In 83 plate appearances against lefties, Anthony hit .234/.289/.299. He had just three extra-base hits and six RBI, and he was hitting ground balls 65% of the time. He had a 64 WRC+. While this is certainly a small sample size, none of those numbers were promising that he would perform against Fried.
Duran's numbers are only marginally better. He hit .228/.293/.315. In his 141 plate appearances, he had just two home runs and five doubles, with 14 RBI. Duran still has a ground ball rate of 45% against southpaws this season, but he also has an almost 38% fly ball rate. His WRC+ is 70.
None of this is to say that Red Sox Nation should feel good about Anthony's absence in Game 2. It's more just to point out that Boston won't be hurting as much as fans may initially think, because Anthony hasn't been very good against lefties this season. The Red Sox went on their 15-game winning streak and hot summer stretch without Anthony, and although he would make them better, they don't need him against Fried.
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