Chad Tracy Keeps Roman Anthony in Red Sox’s Third Spot
Roman Anthony stayed in the third spot Friday, and Chad Tracy said he has no plans to move him out of the Red Sox lineup despite a.208 average. The interim manager framed the choice as part of a broader problem, not a single-player one, as Boston tries to pull several struggling bats out of the same rut.
Tracy Stays With Anthony
Anthony was batting third against the Astros, and Tracy made the decision plain before the Red Sox’ first home game since Alex Cora and six coaches were fired last Saturday. "It’s not a Roman thing, right?" Tracy said. "As a group, we have some guys going through it."
The context around Anthony makes the call harder to dismiss. He entered the game with a.339 on-base percentage and a.292 slugging mark, but his recent production had slowed after a neck and back tweak forced him out for four games.
When he returned, he went 2 for 16 with seven strikeouts and two walks. Tracy said, "Plainly put, when Roman’s really, really going well, he’s not swinging out of the zone, he’s driving the ball in the air, and he hits the ball in the air and drives it to the opposite gap, too," and added, "When he’s not going as well, you might see a little bit more ground balls to the right side."
Boston’s Slumping Bats
Anthony is not the only regular searching for better contact. Jarren Duran stayed in the leadoff role despite a.170 average and a.481 OPS, Trevor Story hit fifth at.197 with a.532 OPS, Carlos Narváez carried a.234 average and a.617 OPS, and Caleb Durbin came in at.172 with a.542 OPS.
Tracy did not separate Anthony from that mix. "As a group, law of averages says these guys are going to get going because they can hit," he said. "I’m optimistic, because I look and say, ‘I don’t think five guys are going to OPS.500 on September whatever,’" he said, then added, "So if it was a Roman thing, maybe we’d talk about that. But I think as a group, we’re all trying to collectively get going together."
Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray
Boston’s lineup discussion came with two pitching updates on the same day. Garrett Crochet had an MRI on his left shoulder that showed only inflammation, and he was shut down from throwing for at least a couple of days. Tracy said the club is not putting a public timetable on his return, while Crochet said Wednesday he was confident he would return as soon as he is eligible, which is May 11.
Sonny Gray also threw three innings of live batting practice, facing Caleb Durbin and Drew Ehrhard. For Boston, the immediate read is simple: Anthony keeps his spot, and the club is trying to let the order work through the slump without treating one cold bat as the whole problem.
