Insider’s Bold Take For Red Sox Despite Roman Anthony Loss
The Boston Red Sox lost a key cog at the top of the lineup when Roman Anthony went down with his oblique injury.
Since Anthony went down, the news hasn't been overtly positive. MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo recently shared that it would be a "miracle" if Anthony were to return before the regular season ended.
"It would be a miracle for the Red Sox to get Roman Anthony back by the end of the regular season, which concludes on September 28," Cotillo said. "But another starting outfielder is still on track to return to the roster."
Unsurprisingly, the Red Sox's offense has scuffled since losing Anthony. When you lose a hitter batting near .300 and getting on-base at a near .400 clip, it's tough to recover regardless of how old the player is. There has been plenty of doom-and-gloom talk since Anthony went down, but ESPN's David Schoenfield sees it another way. In fact, Schoenfield said it's "not real" that the Red Sox can't win the World Series after the Anthony loss and compared it to the Atlanta Braves winning after Ronald Acuna Jr. got hurt in 2021.
The ESPN insider has high expectations for the Red Sox still
"Real or not: Without Roman Anthony, you can kiss a World Series title goodbye," Schoenfield said. "The rookie phenom just went down with a strained oblique and could miss four to six weeks, which means he might be out for at least the start of the postseason. With Anthony in the starting lineup, the Red Sox are 40-26, but when he hasn't started they're under .500. Anthony had not only been the spark at the top of the lineup with a .396 OBP but was starting to tap into his power in August, hitting .317/.400/.561 with six home runs in 21 games before the injury. Now, the Red Sox will not only have to hold on to a playoff spot without him, but they will also probably need to win at least a postseason series or two without him.
"Verdict: NOT REAL. It's a huge blow, especially given his hot bat of late, but the record with Anthony in the lineup coincides with better performances up and down the roster since the beginning of July -- especially from the work of Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello in the rotation to help back up ace Garrett Crochet.
"The Red Sox also have the best closer in the game in 2025 in Aroldis Chapman, who has a ridiculous .346 OPS allowed and 0.98 ERA; a red-hot setup reliever in Garrett Whitlock (a 1.47 ERA and no home runs since mid-May); and enough depth to fill in for Anthony, especially if they can get Wilyer Abreu back before the end of the regular season. It won't be easy without Anthony, but it could be a similar scenario to the Braves losing Ronald Acuna Jr. in 2021 and still winning the World Series."
This is one person's opinion, but it does show that the perception around Boston right now is higher than social media would make you think. It's tough adjusting without Anthony, but there's enough here to still be very excited about this team.
Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson Gets Stern Warning After Packers Loss
The Detroit Lions had a very difficult start to their 2025-26 season, and hopefully it’s not a sign of things to come. While those in the Motor City were hoping that the Lions would pick up where they left off last season, that didn’t quite happen, and instead, the team fell in a big loss to the Green Bay Packers, with a final tally of 27-13.
It wasn’t a good look, but hopefully the team got the wake-up call that it needed and will forge ahead with some wins. While there was a lot of finger-pointing after the game by spectators, the players gave it their all, but something was just off. It was easy to feel the absence of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn during that game.
Following the game, one of the Lions’ biggest stars, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, is getting some harsh words thrown at him about his debut. Hutchinson, of course, is coming back from a season-ending injury last season, so people were excited to see him back on the field. But, even he had a difficult start to the season, which is uncharacteristic for him.
Detroit Lions Star Aidan Hutchinson Gets Put on Notice
Hutchinson is raising some eyebrows following the Packers loss. He’s an elite player and one of the best in his position in the NFL, so hopefully he doesn’t get too discouraged by the talk, but it’s worth pointing out.
In a piece published on Monday, September 8, Chris Schad of Detroit Jock City calls Hutchinson out on his season debut. He basically said that Hutchinson did himself “zero favors” in that game and also didn’t help his case to land a blockbuster contract with Holmes and the Lions.
“Hutchinson didn’t show up often in the game against the Packers, finishing without a tackle or a sack in Sunday’s loss,” Schad noted. “His presence didn’t free up things for his teammates, either, as Jordan Love was sacked just once.”
Schad added, “Hutchinson also was embroiled in a controversy when he knocked over Love on a personal foul call, which resulted in Packers lineman Zach Tom getting injured as he tried to avoid his quarterback on the ground.”
Packers’ Micah Parsons Did a Number on the Detroit Lions
What made it worse was the dichotomy of the Packers having defensive end Micah Parsons on the team, which they obtained through a trade with the Dallas Cowboys.
“While Hutchinson wasn’t showing Brad Holmes to throw the bag at him as soon as possible, his cause was made worse by the debut of Micah Parsons,” Schad adds. “The star edge rusher played just 30 snaps in the win over the Lions but he was noticed immediately, swimming past All-Pro tackle Penei Sewell in his first snap as a Packer.” Later, Parsons also “picked up a sack in addition to the pressure he created all afternoon,” making that contract with the Packers worth it right away.
It was not a good look for Hutchinson. But, hopefully this was just an anomaly and that a better game is on the way.
Meanwhile, former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford had a great game to start his season. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that “Matthew Stafford set an NFL record Sunday for most career opening-day starts for a quarterback with 17.” He adds that, “Until this year, Stafford had started his team’s season opener in all 16 seasons, which tied him with John Elway for the longest streak to being a quarterback’s career. Now it’s his record.”
