Boston Red Sox replace injured Roman Anthony with Curtis Mead

NEW YORK: The Boston Red Sox replaced injured outfielder Roman Anthony with infielder Curtis Mead on their wild-card series roster on Wednesday ahead of Game 2 against the New York Yankees.

Anthony underwent imaging in Boston on Wednesday morning which showed “additional damage to some muscles” in his right hand and wrist, Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said.

The 22-year-old suffered an injury to the same hand earlier this season and missed nearly four months before returning on August 30th.

He started Tuesday’s Game 1 as Boston’s designated hitter but struck out twice against Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler, with the injury worsening during check swings.

Anthony said his hand pain had been lingering for weeks before a sharp increase in discomfort during Game 1 made it difficult for him to grip the bat.

“I've been experiencing some things with the swings and the check swings over the past six weeks,” Anthony said.

“Last night just felt a little bit more intense, a little bit more worse than past swings that have been lingering a little bit longer than the ones I was used to.

“It was just super alarming and it got to a point where it was tough to grip a bat,” Anthony added. “I knew then and there that this was a little bit more similar to the one earlier in the year. That's why we decided to go get imaging.”

Major League Baseball approved the roster change after reviewing the medical information.

Anthony cannot return for the AL Division Series but would be eligible if Boston reaches the AL Championship Series.