Anthony, who has been out because of a strained right oblique since Sept. 3, would, of course, rather be at Yankee Stadium this week. But given his state — light workouts, some weight-room stuff, no baseball activity — it’s a no-go. Not even close.
“I wish I was going on every trip before the playoffs. But I’m not,” Anthony said. “That’s the reality of it. Our best chance to kind of move this thing along and get better is to be with the staff in Fort Myers. If that’s the best play, that’s where I’ll be.”
When is the best-case scenario for his return?
“I don’t know a timetable,” he said. “We’ve been on the same page every day, every night, with the training staff, but as far as the way it feels on a day-to-day basis, it’s nothing I’ve ever experienced before. So just trying to maximize every single day and do as much as I can with the trainers.
“We set that goal of the ALCS in the beginning. I don’t ever set dates. I don’t set goals or expectations on myself or anything, so I’m not going to do that. But at the same time, I want to play in Game 1 on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to. Just stay positive and tell myself it’s the ALDS. If it’s not the ALDS, at that point I’m going to tell myself it’s the ALCS.
“For now, I’m going to do everything I can to support these guys from a distance and hopefully be back here soon.”
Alex Bregman and Romy Gonzalez were the only regulars missing from the Red Sox’ lineup for Game 162. Jarren Duran and Trevor Story, both of whom had the post-clinch day off Saturday, returned for tuneups of nine and six innings, respectively, in the 4-3 win over the Tigers at Fenway Park.
“It’s good for him,” Cora said of Bregman. “He has grinded through it the last two months, so for him to get another day, it matters.”
Bregman, who missed about seven weeks before a mid-July return from a right quad strain, had started 48 of 50 games since Aug. 1.
After Garrett Crochet handles Game 1 of the AL wild-card series against the Yankees on Tuesday, Brayan Bello “most likely” will be the Sox’ starter in Game 2 on Wednesday, Cora said. Bello had a 1.89 ERA in three starts against New York this year (2.35 in 11 career outings) … The Sox will carry two catchers for the first round, Cora said. Ali Sánchez is around as a member of the taxi squad … Will right fielder Wilyer Abreu start against lefthanders in the postseason? Sounds like maybe not. “We’ll maximize our roster and see where we’re at,” Cora said. “We’ve been really good about using the other guys against lefties, so we’ll see what happens” … The Tigers beating the Red Sox on Saturday was a relief for the Cora family. It meant Detroit third base coach Joey Cora was bound for the playoffs, too. The teams could meet in the ALCS. “[Saturday] was good. OK, we’re in, he’s in,” Alex said of his brother. “Hopefully we cross paths. That one is going to be intense, to say the least” … The Red Sox had four players with 20 or more stolen bases for the first time since 1912. Ceddanne Rafaela swiped his 20th base in the first inning to join Story, Duran, and David Hamilton … Niko Matsuzaka, daughter of Daisuke Matsuzaka, sang the national anthem before the regular-season finale.
With no timetable to return from injury, Roman Anthony heads to Fort Myers while Red Sox travel to New York
