New Roman Anthony Injury Update Given By Chad Tracy as Red Sox Star 'Closer' to Rehab Assignment

Roman Anthony's return grows nearer.

Interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters on Tuesday that the star outfielder is "getting closer" to a rehab assignment as he recovers from a torn ligament in his ring finger that has kept him out of action since May 4.

"From what I understand, he's taking swings and feels really good," Tracy told reporters Friday. "There may be things post-(hitting) where you have a little soreness, but that's pretty expected at this point. All things are positive. Let him keep taking steps, temper expectations until he crosses and checks all these boxes, then we'll see when we can get him here."

As Chris Cotillo of MassLive noted, "Because Anthony has been able to run, field and throw during his absence, there's a feeling he could ramp up quickly, too."

When healthy the 22-year-old was having a bit of a rough season, hitting .229 with one homer, five RBI, 12 runs and two stolen bases in 30 games, posting a .675 OPS. It was a far cry from his excellent rookie season, when he posted a .859 OPS and very much looked ready to live up to the billing as one of MLB's most exciting prospects.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox have completely transformed their season. On June 24 the Red Sox lost to the Colorado Rockies, losing that series and falling to 32-46 on the season. But since that game Boston is an incredible 32-8, which included a 15-game winning streak in July.

The Red Sox went from being completely dead in the water to now holding onto a pretty firm grip on the No. 2 Wild Card berth in the American League. An AL East crown seems less likely, as the team trails the Tampa Bay Rays by eight games, but a playoff berth is now very much in the cards.

And some key contributors should be returning as well. Alongside Anthony, trade deadline addition Adley Rutschman is coming off the injured list Tuesday and will take over catching duties, while shortstop Trevor Story is nearing a return and starting pitcher Garrett Crochet will return at some point as well.

In other words, the hottest team in baseball is going to get even better, at least on paper.