Anthony’s Medical Marathon: Red Sox Banking on Fresh Eyes

Roman Anthony is becoming a frequent flyer, and not in the way the Red Sox envisioned. The outfielder is heading to Atlanta for yet another specialist consultation before relocating to Fort Myers for continued rehab work. At this point, the injury saga reads less like a recovery plan and more like a medical tour.

Here’s what matters: when a front office starts cycling through doctors across multiple states, it usually signals one of two things. Either the injury is genuinely complex and requires expert consensus, or there’s a growing sense of frustration that something isn’t clicking with the standard approach. The Red Sox citing Anthony’s “singular focus” suggests they’re betting on the former—that fresh perspectives and a change of environment will unlock the path back to the majors.

The timing stings. Anthony had upside worth the organization’s patience, but the cost of extended rehab away from the team is real. Every week in Fort Myers is a week Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, and the rest of Boston’s outfield contingent are getting reps at the big-league level. Losing developmental time is its own injury, especially for a young player trying to carve out a role.

What makes this defensible is that Craig Breslow and Alex Cora aren’t the types to throw money and hope at a problem. If they’re investing in additional medical consultations and specialized rehab sites, there’s probably legitimate diagnostic value there. Better to get it right now than rush Anthony back and watch him limp through 2026. Still, the Red Sox need to be realistic about the window here. They’re built to compete this season with their current roster depth. How long they can afford to hold a roster spot for a delayed return is the question nobody’s asking yet—but probably should be.