Early on in the 2025 MLB season, it appeared as though the Boston Red Sox's season was going down the drain. Following a loss to the Cincinnati Reds on July 2, Boston was five games under .500 at 45-50. They had traded Rafael Devers, their best hitter, to the San Francisco Giants for peanuts. All signs pointed to the Red Sox throwing in the towel.
Since that time, Boston has the best record in baseball at 35-17.
The starting rotation, headlined by Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello, and Lucas Giolito, has been exceptional. The lineup, even without Devers, has been among the best in the league. Even the bullpen, which was a glaring weakness over the first couple of months, has been vastly improved.
With only a few weeks remaining in the regular season, the Red Sox are tied with the New York Yankees atop the American League Wild Card chase. They are 6.5 clear of the first team on the outside, looking in (Texas Rangers). ESPN has the Red Sox with better than a 98% chance to make the playoffs.
Additionally, they are just 2.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East.
Everything I have outlined specifies a team that has a legit chance at a World Series crown. But all of that took a turn for the worse on Tuesday night.
Red Sox's fatal flaw for World Series hopes
During Boston's 11-7 win over the Cleveland Guardians, rookie sensation Roman Anthony suffered an oblique injury. On Wednesday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora opted not to put a timetable on the injury but revealed that the injury typically takes four to six weeks to recover.
The regular season ends in 25 days. So, even if he heals quickly, he might miss the start of the playoffs. But oblique injuries tend to linger. If this takes six weeks or longer, he might just miss the playoffs entirely.
Well, so long as Boston would still be playing, because it might not be long without him.
The middle of the Red Sox lineup is filled with guys who can drive in runs. Alex Bregman has turned in a great first season with Boston. Trevor Story has had a resurgent season. Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu have 77 and 69 RBIs, respectively. But outside of Bregman, no one is hitting better than .260 this year.
Anthony is the table-setter for Boston's offense. He leads the team with a .292 batting average and a .396 on-base percentage. The Red Sox rank sixth in the majors with 118 stolen bases. They are adept at playing small ball when needed. But without Anthony, a likely Wild Card matchup with the New York Yankees might prove difficult.
Anthony's injury is truly a shame. The Red Sox had all of the parts needed to go on a World Series run. Their starting pitching is solid. Their bullpen, led by the best closer in baseball (Aroldis Chapman), has become an asset. But without Anthony atop the lineup, the Sox might struggle to score in the postseason.
