Andruw Monasterio pinch-hit for Roman Anthony in the sixth inning of the Boston Red Sox's 9-0 Game 1 loss to the New York Yankees on Tuesday.
Anthony missed 101 games this season with a torn ligament under his right ring finger. In the season finale on Sunday, he was seen flexing his right hand after a checked swing. It was odd to see Monasterio, a righty, pinch-hit for Anthony in a close game in the postseason, and Chad Tracy confirmed that the decision to do so was related to Anthony's hand.
"The hand, " Tracy said when asked why Anthony came out of the game, per a video posted by NESN of his postgame press conference. "He took a check swing, and then another swing, and his hand flared on him, and it got uncomfortable, so we had to make a move there."
The question on every fan's mind is whether Anthony will be available to play on Wednesday in a do-or-die game for the Red Sox.
"It’s hard to say right now," Tracy said after the game, per The Boston Herald's Gabrielle Starr.
Tracy told reporters that the Red Sox will have to see what information they have on Anthony's hand tomorrow before they make a decision. Obviously, losing him for this series would be a major blow, but this is also something that could impact his availability for the rest of the postseason, should the Red Sox advance.