NEW YORK -- Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony's status for Game 2 of their wild-card series against New York is in question after he exited Game 1 with an injury to the same hand that sidelined him for nearly four months.
When asked if Anthony would play Wednesday, with the Red Sox looking to even the best-of-three series after a 9-0 Yankees thrashing in Game 1, Boston manager Chad Tracy said: "It's hard to say right now. It's one of those things where he obviously was in a lot of discomfort."
Anthony, who left Yankee Stadium without talking to reporters, was pinch hit for in the sixth inning by Andruw Monasterio. Multiple check swings against Yankees ace Cam Schlittler caused "discomfort on the swings" for Anthony, Tracy said, and "his hand flared on him." The full extent of the injury is unclear.
The original injury Anthony suffered in early May was not considered severe, but the partially torn tendon in Anthony's right ring finger kept him out until late August. In 25 regular-season games after his return, Anthony hit .262/.321/.476 with four home runs and 10 RBIs.
He batted leadoff as the Red Sox's designated hitter Tuesday, looking to spearhead an offense seeking revenge on Schlittler after his eight scoreless innings in the wild-card series between the teams last year eliminated Boston. Schlittler instead authored a near repeat, holding Boston scoreless for 6⅓ innings, striking out 10 and allowing just a pair of hits.
The potential loss of Anthony comes at a trying time for Boston. The Red Sox scored a major league-low 71 runs in September, and they hoped Anthony would help fill a power vacuum that has existed all season. Further, if Anthony is taken off the roster by the Red Sox, he would not be eligible to return until the American League Championship Series.
"You'll get a zinger every once in a while where you feel something, it's fine, it goes away," Tracy said. "But today ... some stuff happened that was more serious and was uncomfortable."