MLB Notebook: Roman Anthony, Trevor Story return to Red Sox; Crow-Armstong puts on a show at Wrigley

Red Sox reporters can finally stop posting on social media about whether Roman Anthony is in the WooSox lineup, getting a day off or leaving the ballpark with his bags packed.

The long wait appears to be over with both Anthony and Trevor Story to be activated before Sunday afternoon’s series finale against the Yankees, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.

“A source said things were ‘trending’ toward activation,” Cotillo wrote Saturday, adding that “it appears only a late setback would prevent that from happening.”

The Sox will option Mickey Gasper and Anthony Seigler to Triple-A Worcester to make room for the returning Anthony and Story. 

Both players were headed to New York on Saturday night after completing their rehab assignments with Triple-A Worcester, and interim manager Chad Tracy indicated following Boston’s 9-2 loss that he expects them to play Sunday.

“I think so,” Tracy said when asked if Anthony and Story would be in the lineup.

“They’re coming,” Tracy said. “Not sure what we’re doing yet. We’ll figure that out. Obviously, they went through everything [with their rehab assignments] … We’re gonna talk through what we’re gonna do.”

For a Red Sox team preparing for one of its biggest games of the season, the reinforcements couldn’t arrive at a better time.

Boston enters Sunday three games behind New York for the top American League Wild Card spot. The teams are tied 6-6 in the season series, meaning the winner of Sunday’s finale will own the head-to-head tiebreaker should they finish the regular season with identical records.

Anthony’s return to the Red Sox lineup has been months in the making.

The 22-year-old hasn’t played for Boston since May 4, when he tore a ligament under his right ring finger on a swing against the Tigers. What initially appeared as though it might be a relatively short absence turned into a painstaking recovery that prevented Anthony from swinging a bat throughout June and July.

He finally began swinging off a tee earlier this month before beginning his rehab assignment Aug. 18.

“I feel like I’m ready,” Anthony told reporters at Polar Park on Saturday. “I’ve felt somewhat ready since the first game in Portland.”

Anthony certainly looked ready during his rehab assignment. He went 7-for-25 (.280) with two homers, two doubles and seven RBI in eight games between Double-A Portland and Worcester, posting a .367 on-base percentage, .600 slugging percentage and .967 OPS.

After Saturday’s game at Polar Park, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette’s Tommy Cassell noted that Anthony’s locker had been cleared and his belongings were being taken out of the clubhouse.

Anthony initially told reporters he wasn’t sure whether he was headed to New York, but made it clear he was anxious to get back.

“I’m excited to get back,” Anthony said. “I’m excited to just get back to the normalcy of seeing the guys and being around the boys and for it to be a different environment, for sure.”

Before the injury, Anthony was hitting .229/.354/.321 with one homer, five doubles, a triple and five RBI in 130 plate appearances. His underlying numbers offered more encouragement, including a 15.4% walk rate, 21.6% chase rate, 47.4% hard-hit rate and 92.3 mph average exit velocity.

Tracy said Anthony is expected to return to the leadoff spot against right-handed pitching and could remain there against some lefties. He figures to receive at-bats in left field and at designated hitter.

Story’s return has followed a slightly different path.

The 33-year-old hasn’t played for Boston since May 14 and underwent surgery May 21 to repair a sports hernia. Unlike Anthony, Story struggled offensively during his rehab assignment, going 6-for-35 (.171) with one double, three RBI, one walk and 11 strikeouts over 10 games for Worcester.

Story was hitting just .206 with three homers and seven doubles over 176 plate appearances before surgery, but the Red Sox are hoping a healthy version of the veteran can provide more production down the stretch.

His return should also restore some stability at shortstop, where Story is expected to resume his role as the starter.

Getting two regulars back creates another problem, albeit one the Red Sox won’t mind having this time of year.

Boston will need to clear two spots on the active roster, with Seigler and Gasper optioned to Worcester, the Sox' roster is set and both players will need to wait 10 days before being recalled unless a player is placed on the injured list.

Gasper had made Craig Breslow's decision on who to option particularly difficult with his recent play. He had reached base in 12 of his 15 plate appearances on the road trip, making his case to remain with the club. 

Nick Sogard, was a name floated as a potential option, but he has homered three times in the past week, and been Tracy's leadoff man, he will bat ninth on Sunday, and play second base. 

Seigler, 27, batted .250 with a .331 on-base percentage, .405 slugging percentage and .736 OPS in 48 games for Boston, hitting three homers, 12 doubles and a triple while driving in 13 runs.

His departure, however, will be felt beyond the box score. Seigler emerged as one of the more fiery personalities in the Red Sox clubhouse, bringing an energy that seemed to rub off on his teammates. He became an important part of the club’s identity during its dramatic turnaround, with Boston going 45-13 during its surge back into contention.

That makes him a particularly difficult subtraction, even with Anthony and Story returning.

Willson Contreras said Saturday that while getting Anthony and Story back is important, the contributions from the players who helped Boston climb back into contention shouldn’t be overlooked.

“I think it’s really important for us to get those guys back. We need them,” Contreras said. “But it’s also important to recognize the job or the work that the whole lineup has been putting in for the last three months.”

Breslow had to make a tough decision, but getting both Anthony and Story back, help the Sox as a whole, regardless of what the likes of Gasper and Seigler have given to the team of late. 

“I think those are tough decisions to make,” Contreras said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but we do have to recognize the job that the guys are doing for this team and we couldn’t have done what we’ve done without them.”

Tracy described it Friday as a difficult decision but also “a good problem to have.”

“Not many people are complaining about getting good players back in September,” Tracy said. “And not many people in baseball complain about having depth. … Is it going to be difficult trying to decide and have conversations if we have to option guys or send guys down? Of course. That’s the case even if it wasn’t September. But at the same time, getting healthy at this time of year is really important.”

Neither activation of Anthony or Story requires a corresponding 40-man move. Both players have been on the 60-day injured list, and Boston entered Saturday with two open spots on its 40-man roster.

Another decision is coming Tuesday, when rosters expand from 26 to 28 players, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa is expected to return from left forearm inflammation. His activation will require a 40-man move, and keep in mind, Tanner Houck's return is looming on the horizon. 

For now, the focus is on Sunday, and the Red Sox have climbed into playoff position despite spending much of the summer without Anthony, Story, and several other players they expected to rely upon entering the season.

Now two of them appear ready to return with the season-series tiebreaker against the Yankees and valuable ground in the Wild Card race on the line. Ranger Suarez (5-3, 3.35 ERA) will face Yankees right-hander Will Warren (8-6, 4.39) at 1:35 p.m.

MLB Proposes Weekly Rosters, Rule 5 Changes, and Revamped Offseason Calendar

Major League Baseball presented a series of proposals to the MLB Players Association on Thursday as negotiations toward a new collective bargaining agreement continue, with the latest discussions focused on limiting roster churn and reshaping the offseason transaction calendar.

The proposals, which MLB says are contingent on implementing a salary cap and floor system, include weekly roster deadlines, changes to injured-list and option rules, an overhaul of the Rule 5 Draft, and designated quiet and frozen periods during the offseason.

“A cap-and-floor system would unlock additional opportunities to improve the game for players and fans, creating more stability in rosters, getting the best players to the Major Leagues more quickly, and accelerating the pace of the offseason,” MLB spokesperson Glen Caplin said.

Under the weekly roster proposal, teams would set their 26-man active roster each Monday, with standard roster moves generally limited until the following week. Exceptions would be made for injuries, bereavement and paternity absences, trades and waiver claims.

The proposal would also shorten the injured-list minimum for position players from 10 days to one full week, while pitchers would move from 15 days to two full weeks. The 60-day IL would become a 12-week minimum.

Players could be optioned to the minors a maximum of four times per season, down from five, with minimum option assignments also changing to one week for position players and two weeks for pitchers.

The 26-man roster would remain intact, though clubs could carry as many as 14 pitchers instead of the current maximum of 13.

MLB believes the changes would create more roster stability for players and fans while potentially encouraging teams to get more innings from their starting pitchers. In-season transactions have nearly doubled since 2011, and teams used an average of 57 players in 2025, with the Braves leading the majors with 72.

The league also proposed significant changes to the Rule 5 Draft to create opportunities for players blocked in deep farm systems.

Eligibility would be accelerated by one year. Players who sign before turning 20 would become eligible for the fourth Rule 5 Draft after signing their first contract, while players 20 or older would become eligible for the third.

Perhaps more significantly, Rule 5 selections could be optioned to the minors instead of being required to remain on the selecting club’s active roster all season. They would, however, have to remain on that team’s 40-man roster.

MLB also wants to dramatically reshape the offseason calendar and concentrate free-agent activity around the Winter Meetings.

Following the existing five-day option period after the World Series, free agency would enter a “Quiet Period” lasting until noon on the Monday of the Winter Meetings. Teams could negotiate with free agents during that time but could not officially finalize agreements. Trades would still be permitted, as would players re-signing with their previous clubs.

Free agency would then officially open at the Winter Meetings and continue through Dec. 21, creating a condensed two-to-three-week signing window.

Beginning Dec. 21, MLB would institute a “Frozen Period” prohibiting transactions and contracts involving major league players until the first Monday in February. Trades and free-agent signings would resume at that point as teams prepare for spring training.

The proposals remain just that for now, and because MLB has tied them to the adoption of a salary cap and floor system, they figure to be part of a much larger and potentially contentious negotiation between the league and players before a new CBA is reached.

I'd like to read your thoughts to the potential format in the comments. 

Crow-Armstrong Puts on a Show for Cubs Legends

The Cubs have a long history of players who knew how to put on a show, and with some of the franchise’s biggest names back at Wrigley Field on Saturday, Pete Crow-Armstrong delivered one of his own.

With Sammy Sosa and Billy Williams among the Cubs legends in attendance, Crow-Armstrong blasted three home runs in Chicago’s 17-5 rout of the Reds, adding another chapter to a season that is quickly becoming one of the best individual campaigns in the franchise’s 150-year history.

“There were legends on legends down in the cage before the game,” Crow-Armstrong said to reporters after the game. “If anything, the most intimidating part of today was doing my pregame routine in front of Sammy Sosa and Billy Williams.”

Sosa even gave Crow-Armstrong an assignment during a pregame conversation in the batting cage.

“He was like, ‘I want three out of you today. I need three,’” Crow-Armstrong said. “Sure enough. I don’t know what he passed down to me there.”

Apparently, Crow-Armstrong was listening. 

He led off the first inning by driving an Andrew Abbott fastball into the right-center-field bleachers, then returned in the second and ripped a curveball off the right-field foul pole for a two-run homer.

Crow-Armstrong eventually completed the three-homer performance Sosa requested, further strengthening an MVP résumé that continues to become increasingly difficult to ignore.

News emerged before Saturday’s game that Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani had suffered another setback in his attempt to build back up as a pitcher following a left knee issue. Ohtani had posted a 1.79 ERA over 14 starts earlier this season before the injury interrupted his work on the mound.

Crow-Armstrong, meanwhile, entered Saturday leading the majors with 8.6 FanGraphs WAR, ahead of Ohtani at 6.9, which included 4.0 offensive WAR and 2.9 pitching WAR.

Three homers later, Crow-Armstrong had pushed his season total to 9.1 WAR. That puts his 2026 season into some extraordinary company in Cubs history. Only Rogers Hornsby (11.0 WAR in 1929), Sosa (9.9 in 2001), Ernie Banks (9.7 in 1959) and Ron Santo (9.5 in 1967) have produced more in a single season, according to Elias Sports Bureau. 

With a month still remaining, Crow-Armstrong has a chance to pass all of them, and on a Saturday dedicated to celebrating Cubs history, it was fitting that one of the franchise’s current stars put on a performance worthy of joining it.

Around the League

- As noted in MassLive’s Red Sox Notebook on Sunday, Ceddanne Rafaela has struggled mightily with the ABS challenge system. The Red Sox center fielder has successfully challenged just six of 24 calls, a 25% success rate.

The easy solution might be telling Rafaela to stop challenging, but interim manager Chad Tracy isn’t ready to take that freedom away from him.

“Everybody wants to say, ‘Oh, just make him not challenge,’” Tracy said. “There’s going to be one that he gets right with bases loaded and you’re going to be really happy that we didn’t do that. So keep an eye on it for sure as you get closer to playoff time and you maybe reinvigorate conversations around that.

“But right now what has turned this around? That piece of it,  where we went from like one of the worst in baseball at that to now we’re like one of the best in baseball, was encouraging guys to trust your instincts and trust your feel and go. And it’s really helped turn things around. You want that to be for the whole group.”

- The Astros are looking for a new general manager. Houston announced that the organization and GM Dana Brown mutually agreed to part ways. Brown’s contract was set to expire at the end of the 2026 season.

- The Athletics will also be searching for a general manager this offseason, and former Astros GM James Click has emerged as a candidate. Click, who led Houston’s baseball operations from 2020-22, is currently the Blue Jays’ vice president of baseball strategy.

The Red Sox better hope they have something worked out behind the scenes with Tracy. If Boston hasn’t already positioned itself to retain its interim manager beyond this season, he could become one of the hottest names on the managerial market.

Tracy has overseen Boston’s dramatic turnaround since replacing Alex Cora, who was fired in April. If the Red Sox are stupid enough to let Tracy walk, he will be a hot commodity along with Cora this winter. 

- Chris Sale is making another run at the NL Cy Young Award. The former Red Sox ace has rediscovered himself in Atlanta and, even at 36, remains one of baseball’s best pitchers.

Sale is 13-9 with a 2.06 ERA and added another vintage performance with a 1-0 shutout of the Dodgers, striking out 11 without issuing a walk. At 36 years, 150 days old, Sale became just the sixth pitcher since 1900 at that age or older to throw a shutout with at least 10 strikeouts and no walks. The last to accomplish the feat was Hall of Famer Randy Johnson in 2004.

- The Giants found a new way to make history, just not the kind they wanted. San Francisco entered its game against Cincinnati with an all-time record of 2,208-0 when leading by at least six runs entering the ninth inning. Make that 2,208-1. I wonder how Rafael Devers is enjoying his time in the Bay Area?

The Reds erased a six-run deficit in the ninth to hand San Francisco a historic collapse. The Giants have now lost 11 games this season in which they held a lead in the ninth inning, the most in the majors.

- Abner Uribe’s rehab assignment came with an unusual wardrobe choice. The Brewers right-hander continued his rehab with High-A Wisconsin on Friday, but he wasn’t wearing the Timber Rattlers’ usual uniform.

Milwaukee’s affiliate temporarily rebranded as the Wisconsin Brats for a two-day “Bratoberfest” celebration honoring the area’s German heritage. That meant Uribe took the mound wearing a Lederhosen-inspired uniform with “Brats” across the chest. Minor league baseball remains undefeated when it comes to finding new ways to make a rehab assignment interesting.