Roman Anthony will not need surgery on his injured right hand, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Monday according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. The outfielder aggravated the hand and suffered additional injuries to it during Game 1 of Boston’s wild-card series loss to the New York Yankees.
Breslow’s update offers the first real clarity on Anthony’s health since he exited that Game 1 start and was subsequently ruled out for Game 2 as Boston was eliminated from the postseason.
What the Red Sox said about Roman Anthony’s hand injury
Breslow told reporters Monday the organization is “still gathering information” on the right hand injury, but said the early expectation is that it will heal with rest rather than surgery. The Red Sox have not assigned Anthony a formal recovery timeline, and Breslow’s comments reflect the club’s current read on the situation rather than a final medical determination.
The injury itself is not new. Anthony dealt with finger and hand problems throughout the 2026 season before the issue flared up again in the postseason opener against the Yankees.
Season context: an injury-shortened season
Anthony’s hand and finger trouble limited him to 55 regular-season games in 2026, a significant reduction for a player Boston had hoped to feature in the middle of its lineup. The wild-card aggravation compounds an injury history that dogged him throughout the season.
What’s next for Anthony and the Red Sox
With the Red Sox now out of the postseason, Anthony moves into an offseason program built around rest rather than surgical recovery, based on Breslow’s comments. Boston has not released additional details on a treatment plan or a timetable for when Anthony will resume full baseball activities, and further updates are expected as the team continues evaluating the hand.
Reporting from CBS Sports and ESPN contributed to this story.
