Roman Anthony had been a linchpin in the Red Sox playoff chase since his MLB debut in early June. Rarely does a rookie tilt the needle like Anthony -- especially in Boston, where every move is magnified and winning remains the expectation even in lean years.

Anthony delivered. He hit .292/.396/.463 with an .859 OPS and eight homers in 71 games, arguably becoming the club's best hitter. The team went 44-27 over that stretch, and his presence pushed them closer to October baseball.

But his strained oblique , which will likely sideline him for the rest of the regular season and possibly into the playoffs, adds a significant amount of turbulence to that postseason push.

"Losing Roman is a gut punch," Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman told reporters after Tuesday's win over the

See Full Page