Role
Roman Anthony was supposed to be an everyday bat in 2026. He made 242 plate appearances instead. He hurt his right hand on a swing in Detroit on May 4 (a partially torn CMC ligament at the base of his right ring finger, per MLB.com) and didn't return until Aug. 30, mostly as the DH. Then he reinjured it in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series and came off the roster. He's signed through 2033 on an eight-year, $130 million extension, so he'll play left field or DH in 2027 if healthy.
Outlook
Before the injury he hit .229/.354/.321 with one homer in 130 plate appearances. After he came back he hit .262/.321/.476 with four homers in 112. He finished at .245/.339/.396. The contact quality never went away: a 92.0 mph average exit velocity, a 46.6% hard-hit rate and a .341 expected wOBA. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said there's no planned surgery and "rest is likely the best path to recovery" (MLB.com).
Our take: a rare injury that came back once can come back again, and that's the risk. But the bat from his 2025 debut (.859 OPS in 303 plate appearances) is still there. With a full winter of rest, we think he plays 140 games and is the best hitter in the lineup.