Red Sox outfielder exited yesterdays game due to sorene s in his left oblique. Hell be placed on the 10-day injured list, manager . not long beforehand that Anthony was likely to be placed on the IL and that the Sox would recall utilityman from Triple-A Worcester to take his spot on the roster. Cora didnt provide a timetable for Anthony specifically, speaking instead in general terms while pointing out that oblique strains often take four to six weeks to heal. Obviously, theres a chance that Anthonys regular season is over. Its terrible timing for the Red Sox (not that theres a good time to lose a player of Anthonys caliber). Boston is 2.5 games back of the division-leading Blue Jays in the American League East. Theyre veritable playoff locks by now, but the Red Sox have a real chance of moving Josiah Slavin Jersey to the top of the division and potentially securing a bye through the first round of postseason play. Attempting to do so without Anthony will make that task far more daunting. Since making his big league debut on June 9, Anthony has been Bostons best offensive performer. Through 303 plate appearances, hes hitting .292/.396/.463 with eight homers, 18 doubles, a triple, a 13.2% walk rate and four stolen bases (in five tries). The resulting 138 wRC+ indicates that Anthony has been 38% better than an average hitter at the plate. Among Red Sox hitters, only newcomer has a better mark, and that comes in a sample of just 41 plate appearances. Further complicating matters for the Sox is that Anthony will join on the injured list. Hes been out since mid-August with a calf strain and doesnt appear close to a return. Cora said just last night that Abreu has yet to even resume running ( ). That leaves and in two of the three outfield spots, and a rotating cast of characters to mix and match in the third. , , and the aforementioned Sogard are among the po sibilities. Yoshida has played the field just four times this year after offseason shoulder surgery. Its po sible Anthony heals abnormally quickly and is back on the field before seasons end, but based purely on the history of oblique injuries in recent years, its far likelier that he wont be ready to return until the postseason is underway. The Red Sox will have to hope that theyre still alive when Anthony is cleared to return, and even then, he might need to jump right back into the mix after a lengthy layoff and without the benefit of a true minor league rehab a signment. At the very least, theyll hope to have Abreu back by that point, but Bostons outfield look far le s formidable now than it did three weeks ago. Bryan Bickell Jersey