MLB Notebook: Roman Anthony nearing Red Sox return; Joshua Baez makes history

As the Red Sox try to right the ship following a rough stretch in which they’ve gone 4-6 after running through baseball for more than a month, some much-needed offensive help is getting closer.

Roman Anthony, Trevor Story and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are all set to begin rehab assignments over the next several days, giving the Red Sox additional options as they head toward the stretch run.

Anthony will join Double-A Portland for the start of its home series Tuesday, marking his first game action since May 4.

The outfielder has been sidelined since suffering a partially torn tendon in the joint connected to his right ring finger on a foul ball in Detroit. His recovery stalled for a couple of months because swinging continued to cause wrist discomfort, even as he was able to continue running, fielding, and other baseball activities.

That finally began to change a couple of weeks ago when Anthony progressed enough to restart a hitting program.

Recently, he has been facing the Trajekt machine, which can replicate major league velocity and pitch shapes, and has advanced from fastballs to seeing a mix of pitches.

“He is continuing Trajekt. Everything's going well so far, we're creeping closer,” interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters Friday. “He just continues to ramp up all of his normal work and ramp up the Trajekt work. I think last I saw, he’s incorporating breaking balls and mixed pitches off Trajekt. So we're doing well.”

Anthony will see time both in the outfield and at designated hitter during his rehab assignment as the Red Sox gradually increase his workload.

He won’t be the only prominent Red Sox player getting back into game action.

Story will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester on Sunday, nearly three months after undergoing sports hernia surgery.

The veteran shortstop has been working out in Boston and has progressed to the point where the Red Sox believe he’s ready for game action.

“Continues to increase, ramp up, with more intensity and more volume of baseball activity,” Tracy said. “He’s doing everything and feeling much better. So a lot of it with him was the lateral mobility baseball component, which he's been able to do. So everything's going well there as well.”

Before undergoing surgery, he was having one of the worst offensive stretches of his career, batting .206 with three homers, seven doubles and 19 RBI while posting a .547 OPS in 41 games. He struck out 57 times compared to just eight walks.

His underlying numbers weren’t much better. Story’s 44 percent chase rate ranked fifth-worst among qualified major league hitters, while his 32.4 percent strikeout rate was sixth-highest. His defense had also slipped, with Story registering minus-3 Outs Above Average.

Story acknowledged the sports hernia wasn’t entirely responsible for those struggles, but also admitted he hadn't felt like himself physically.

While Story has been out of action, a lot has changed at shortstop for the Red Sox. 

Marcelo Mayer received an opportunity there before suffering a bone stress reaction in his left forearm. The Red Sox ultimately dealt Mayer to San Francisco for left-handed reliever Erik Miller at the trade deadline, closing the door on the possibility of Mayer eventually taking over the position in Boston.

In the meantime, Andruw Monasterio has taken advantage of his opportunity.

Monasterio opened the season in a traditional bench role, appearing in 31 of Boston’s first 57 games with 20 starts. Injuries to Story and Mayer eventually thrust him into an everyday role, and while his defense at shortstop hasn’t been particularly strong, his bat has helped keep him in the lineup.

Of Monasterio’s 65 hits this season, 22 have been doubles and six have left the yard. His latest came Saturday night when he delivered a two-run double in the ninth inning to give the Red Sox some breathing room in their 4-0 win over Pittsburgh.

Kiner-Falefa is getting closer, and he’ll begin his rehab assignment Wednesday with Worcester in Syracuse. Tracy said Kiner-Falefa will initially play second base but could move around the diamond as the Red Sox prepare him for a return to his utility role.

Boston figures to be more deliberate with all three players after what happened with Romy Gonzalez earlier this season.

Gonzalez received just 21 minor league at-bats during his rehab assignment before returning to the majors and never seemed to regain his timing. He was eventually optioned back to Worcester.

That experience should serve as a reminder that