Red Sox’ Roman Anthony ruled out of lineup vs. Yankees due to sore back

“Let’s play it smart today, we’ll see where you’re at tomorrow.”

Roman Anthony is dealing with a sore back. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

April 22, 2026 | 7:21 PM

1 minute to read

The Red Sox won’t have promising slugger Roman Anthony in the lineup Wednesday as Boston looks to get back on track against the Yankees.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s game at a dreary Fenway Park, Alex Cora said that Anthony won’t play due to a sore back, ruling the 21-year-old outfielder as day-to-day moving forward.

Cora said Anthony first felt soreness during Tuesday’s 4-0 loss to New York — a setback where Boston only managed to collect four hits.

“I said, hey, man, the last time you felt something, you went out there and you took another swing and that was it,” Cora told The Boston Globe’s Tim Healey of Anthony, referencing his oblique injury late last year. “Let’s play it smart today, we’ll see where you’re at tomorrow.”

The talented slugger has been hindered by back problems at times in his brief MLB career, missing two games last August with back tightness before getting shut down due to that oblique injury.

Anthony — like most of Boston’s lineup — has struggled out of the gate in 2026, slashing .225/.361/.325 with one homer and four RBIs over 22 games.

Still, the absence of Anthony atop the lineup stands as a major loss for a Red Sox team that is already set to have its hands full against New York ace southpaw Max Fried on Wednesday.

With Anthony out, center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela will bat leadoff against New York, while Jarren Duran — usually relegated to the bench against lefties — will bat sixth and play left field. Utility man Andruw Monasterio will take over at DH.

Here’s Boston’s lineup for Wednesday’s game:

Ceddanne Rafaela CF
Willson Contreras 1B
Wilyer Abreu RF
Trevor Story SS
Andruw Monasterio DH
Jarren Duran LF
Caleb Durbin 3B
Connor Wong C
Isiah Kiner-Falefa 2B

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.

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