Roman Anthony Is Out of the Picture. Where Will the Red Sox Turn For Offense In Game 2?

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When Andruw Monasterio appeared on the on-deck circle in the middle of Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, the immediate thought turned to Roman Anthony. The star outfielder had missed most of the season due to a finger injury and during the finale of the regular season on Sunday, he appeared to have grimaced after a check swing. The team’s leadoff hitter (along with one of their more impactful bats when healthy) was forced out of the game and the remainder of the series with a hand injury that includes a reaggravation of that midseason issue.

The offense cannot afford a major loss like that, especially right after Mickey Gasper and Masataka Yoshida succumbed to injury while key offensive players Willson Contreras and Ceddanne Rafaela are still working back to full health. Alas, the team will have to prepare for a do-or-die situation without Anthony as they stare down Max Fried from the batter’s box.

Anthony wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire since his return, but he was showing signs of improvement. In his last six games of the regular season, he was slashing .333/.391/.571 with three doubles and a triple from the leadoff spot in the lineup. Since his return, he hit .262/.321/.476 with six doubles, two triples, four home runs and 10 RBIs. For a team that was struggling to score runs in September, he was a sight for sore eyes.

Against Cam Schlittler, the young superstar had gone 0-for-2 with two strikeouts prior to his removal. Despite the less-than-ideal performance his presence alone makes the lineup feel much deeper. Now, he might be gone for the remainder of the playoffs.

Where the offense will come from will come down to a handful of players, most of all Jahmai Jones. The outfielder came over to Boston in a trade with Detroit to serve as a bat off the bench that would crush left-handed pitchers. Even prior to Anthony’s injury, he was destined to be in the lineup against Fried as he slashed .316/.426/.632 with four doubles, a triple, four home runs and eight RBIs against left-handed pitching with the Red Sox.

Along with him, the team will need Contreras to return to his usual self. The slugger missed a large portion of September as he dealt with various injuries, but since returning to action in Game 162, Contreras has gone 0-for-6 with four strikeouts, including a rather uncompetitive at-bat against Cam Schlittler in the top of the first inning of Game 1. It may be a miracle for Contreras to be back as early as he is, especially after taking a pitch off his hand like he did, but the first baseman needs to improve on his approach. If this Red Sox team has any shot, they can’t have their big offensive weapon be this ineffective.

Prior to the injury he had been scuffling, hitting just .217/.330/.386 with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and 12 RBIs in the month of August. Though during that time, he was attempting to play through several injuries he was dealing with since the All-Star Break along with a stint in the concussion protocol after being hit in the head during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

If Contreras is unable to come through, then the rest of the team needs to step up, especially someone like Wilyer Abreu. During the regular season, Abreu was a middle-of-the-lineup slugger who, for the third consecutive season, delivered new career highs in home runs and RBIs with 24 and 76, respectively. He also showed an improved eye at the plate, walking 71 times to help set a new career high on-base percentage of .327.

However, as is usual with Abreu, he has been a streaky hitter in 2026. Over his last 24 games entering the playoffs, the right fielder slashed .211/.290/.322 with seven doubles, one home run and six RBIs. Even more concerning were the 23 strikeouts to 10 walks. September as a whole was his second-worst month of the season as he hit just .207/.286/.329 during a time that the offense was struggling to score runs.

However, he took a massive leap forward against left-handed pitching this season; he hit .295/.375/.479 with 15 doubles, one triple, six home runs and 27 RBIs while striking out just 36 times in that split. With Fried on the mound for Game 2. the team will need Abreu to look more like that player.

[There's also the unexpected return of Curtis Mead worth mentioning here, though no one should expect to see him play a serious role after such a long hiatus following his own wrist injury back in July. Anything he can provide in this series should be considered a bonus.]

The loss of Anthony will be tough, but the Red Sox showed throughout the season that they are able to win without him. The team will just need to have players they relied on during Anthony’s absence to step up once more. Whether they manage to do so will determine if the season continues or ends with a sweep at the hands of their rivals. A superstar can easily help sway a game in their team’s favor, but there’s a reason baseball rosters are made up of 26 players.