Roman Anthony injury fears vs. Yankees have a direct tie to 'meaningless' Red Sox finale

When the Boston Red Sox flew to Tampa Bay on Friday night to get away from the Nor'Easter, there was meaning tied to their finale against the Chicago Cubs. By the time the curtain rose on Sunday's affair, that was no longer true; the Padres' Saturday night win secured the Cubs' seeding in the Wild Card race. That reality fueled seemingly endless (and pointless!) Sox fan complaints about the journey, paired with the Yankees' resulting rainout, but ... in that case ... I ask you ... why did a single starter play in the Sox's Game 162, let alone a core player like Roman Anthony who spent most of the season injured?

Blaming the Yankees' monsoon prep and schedule is one thing. When Anthony bats in Tampa, grimaces, takes the field prior to Game 1 in the Bronx with a wrap on his hand, is late on every Cam Schlittler fastball, and exits mid-game after a check swing on his second strikeout, the only one you can blame is yourself.

Just as the Sox were starting to work Cam Schlittler a little bit harder and had hopes of turning the tide before the end of the sixth inning, Anthony became Andruw Monasterio. According to Red Sox manager Chad Tracy, the sophomore slugger's right hand was "uncomfortable".

If that's all it was, then Anthony absolutely should've played through it. But if it's more substantial than that, it's a potentially series-altering injury - and the series has already begun with a dominant Schlittler performance and a late drizzling of runs in a 9-0 shutout.

Last Wild Card Series, the Red Sox came to the Bronx without Anthony, weakening their lineup and causing their offense to stumble after Garrett Crochet's Game 1 masterpiece. This time around, with Aaron Judge off the Yankees' roster, and Anthony (and Crochet) back and ready to contribute after a lost year for both parties, it seemed the Yankees were poised to experience the agony of losing a thunderous bat right at the finish line.

Anthony's discomfort, which appeared to originate prior to Tuesday but helped fuel Schlittler to cross the finish line in the sixth and reach the seventh, will be the dominant pregame narrative in the hours before the Yankees take the field on Wednesday in a potential closeout opportunity. And for a manager in Chad Tracy who's had an incredible Year 1, the decision to run Anthony and Co. out there in a "meaningless" finale looms large.

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