Roman Anthony set to return as Red Sox close regular season vs. Yankees

The Red Sox will aim to turn a significant health chapter into a clean closing stretch as Roman Anthony is scheduled to return Sunday in the final Red Sox-Yankees regular-season game. Anthony, 22, has been sidelined since May 4 with a right hand or wrist injury, a timeline that has made his prolonged absence one of the defining roster challenges for Boston over the last several months.

For a team that has been working to stabilize both its offense and everyday lineup, Anthony’s return carries more than just one roster spot. When a player is out from early May through late August, the lineup patterns around him change. Roles for others expand, matchups shift, and bench depth becomes a different kind of insurance. By bringing Anthony back in the rivalry finale, Boston is effectively choosing a high-visibility moment rather than easing him back in a lower-leverage setting.

Anthony’s activation also arrives with the Yankees, Boston’s most frequent postseason sparring partner in recent years, still serving as the toughest possible measuring stick. The Red Sox-Yankees series is one of the sport’s most closely watched matchups every time it appears, and the final regular-season game adds additional importance because it concludes any lingering questions about who carries momentum into October. Sunday’s matchup is therefore a practical test of how Anthony fits into Boston’s plans at full-speed, not simply a return for return’s sake.

Boston’s week of announcements is not limited to Anthony. Veteran shortstop Trevor Story, who has been dealing with a sports hernia, is also expected to return for the weekend. Story’s availability matters in a different way than Anthony’s. As a long-time infielder with experience handling shortstop responsibilities, Story’s return can affect not only the defensive alignment but also how Boston distributes at-bats between the middle of the order and the rest of the lineup.

The combination of an expected Anthony return and a Story return suggests the Red Sox are trying to restore two meaningful pieces of their infield-and-early lineup framework before the regular season ends. If both are available as expected, it would allow Boston to move closer to the team-building template it has pursued when healthy, where lineup construction and defensive structure are built with known roles rather than temporary placeholders.

What to watch next is straightforward. First, monitor the early game usage: whether Anthony is deployed immediately with regular at-bats or eased into timing. Second, pay attention to how Boston balances the infield after Story’s expected return, especially in the way defensive assignments line up against New York’s late-season approach. Third, consider the broader theme for Boston’s final week, since returning players at this stage often reflects not just injury clearance, but readiness to contribute without friction.

Because the announcement centers on expected returns, the practical reality for Sunday will still be shaped by pregame decisions. Health-related activations can be sensitive to how a player looks in batting practice or during the final phase of movement testing. Still, Anthony’s return is notable for the length of time since May 4, and Story’s sports-hernia recovery storyline adds a second layer of stakes for a season-ending rivalry setting.