Red Sox — Roman Anthony & Trevor Story Back
Both activated Sunday, Aug. 30 in New York during the Yankees series finale — Anthony from a right hand/wrist injury (out since May 4), Story from sports hernia surgery (out since May 14).
Early returns are strong: Anthony already has multiple extra-base hits and a highlight-reel slide to tie a game against Seattle. Story delivered two big hits — including a walk-off — in his return weekend at Fenway.
Story's comment on being ready despite a rocky rehab assignment (.138 with the WooSox): "Only I know when I'm ready... it's hard to explain."
Standings context: Red Sox are 75-64, 3rd in the AL East, currently holding a Wild Card spot (No. 2 AL WC) — ESPN lists them among the AL teams "well on their way" to October.
What to watch in September:
Whether Story's bat/glove hold up over a full workload — he's historically been injury-prone and had a rough 2026 before surgery (.206/.244/.303).
Roster/defensive alignment questions now that Story's back — could push Marcelo Mayer or other infielders around.
Remaining schedule: series at Baltimore, home vs. the Angels and Royals, then Texas — all games with wild-card and tiebreaker implications given how tight the AL Wild Card race is (Yankees, Red Sox, Guardians all clustered).
Health of the roster generally — Boston's been playing "reinforcements" games down the stretch, so any setback for Anthony or Story would be a big deal for their playoff push.· Chad Tracy's approach: Before the series-defining finale (with home-field playoff tiebreaker on the line), Tracy told his clubhouse to treat it like any other game and tried to strip away the stakes. Didn't fully work — Yankees rolled 16-1.
· After the tough loss, Tracy stayed even-keeled and pointed to a bigger picture, on a controversial no-catch call that swung the game: "It's frustrating; we had a really good baseball game right there, a zero-zero game... it's another one of those plays where you're kind of at the mercy of what they call on the field, which stinks."
· The bounce-back is the story: One day after the 16-1 blowout, Boston beat Seattle 10-9 in extra innings on a Trevor Story walk-off. That's the clearest evidence of a team not caving to pressure — quick turnaround from a demoralizing loss to a statement win.
· Roman Anthony handled a different kind of pressure — public criticism, not competitive pressure. He pushed back directly on Boston radio chatter suggesting he prioritized nightlife over rehab: "It's never been a problem and it's never really even been a thing. I prioritize getting to bed and doing everything I can to show up and give it all to my teammates and to the fans... when things aren't going your way and you're a 22-year-old kid that does anything other than just go home and go straight to bed, people have something to say." Good "pressure of playing in Boston" talking point.
· Trevor Story downplayed the "hero" narrative around his own return rather than embracing the spotlight — consistent with a team trying to lower the temperature amid a playoff push.
· Context stat for the show: Red Sox are 75-64, 4 games back of the Yankees, sitting on the No. 2 AL Wild Card — so the pressure is real, but not a must-win-every-day situation yet.
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