The Boston Red Sox’s playoff hopes are fading fast. With a bad 29-39 record, their chances of saving the season now depend on a finger injury that is not healing. Top young player Roman Anthony has already missed more than a month of games this season. It is because of a partially torn ring finger ligament, and he recently shared some bad news about his health.

“Progressing a lot slower than I had imagined at the beginning of this, but definitely progressing, which is the biggest thing. It’s just pain in my hand. That’s what it was until it’s not that; I’ll be here. But as soon as it feels like it starts to get a whole lot better, I’m sure we’ll have a better idea of where we’re at and how it’s going to go from there,” Masslive’s Christopher Smith quoted Anthony.

His slow recovery highlights a huge mistake by the front office. Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy completely botched the injury announcement from the start.

On May 4, Anthony injured his finger/wrist on a swing during a game against the Detroit Tigers. He was placed on a 10-day IL and attempted to return to swinging but experienced soreness. After his scheduled 10-day IL, he completed dry swings but experienced discomfort when hitting off a tee. The Red Sox stopped his swing and delayed his return.

Despite Anthony’s delayed recovery, the Red Sox front office went into denial mode.

“He’s got a sprain in the ligament at the base of the ring finger; there’s no evidence of the tear,” Kennedy said last month. Anthony himself dismissed it, saying it was a “partially torn ring finger ligament.”

“I need to own up to my mistake,” Kennedy said on Thursday.

“He needed to correct, I think, what I said, which was that I referred to it as a sprain. It was a sprain. That was true. But that is also a tear. The degree, the level, I just shouldn’t be wading into that. That’s on me 100%… I apologize for my mistake there. I’ve communicated with Roman about that. That’s all good. The most important thing is that he’s doing the work to get back.”

Such a mistake on Boston’s end is a little embarrassing and is kind of a pattern. Fans remember when the team did not properly diagnose Kike Hernandez’s sports hernias a few years ago. Now, the team is paying the price again. Because of the pain, there is absolutely no timeline for Anthony’s return.

“I don’t think the plan was very sound,” former pitcher Adam Ottavino said the Red Sox “overdid it” with Anthony.

Anthony was coming off a .292 season last year, and while this year, his bat was yet to fire, hitting only .229, the Red Sox’s 28-39 record just needs Anthony back at the earliest. The blame is on the front office for botching it up. An aggressive trade deadline could only save the team from here.

The Red Sox need to look beyond Roman Anthony

By the time Anthony is fit and ready to swing, it is most likely that the All-Star break will be over. The Red Sox would need to race in the second half of the season. Looking beyond Anthony and trading new sluggers by the deadline is the only viable option left.

The first option could be the Houston Astros’ Jeremy Pena. He is hitting .282 and is currently on a one-year deal with the Astros. He is represented by Scott Boras and will probably not sign a cheap contract extension before he hits free agency. So, the Astros could look for a trading partner, and that .282 batting is what the Red Sox need right now. But the biggest question is whether Boston will offer him the desired extension.

Another heavily rumored trade target is Isaac Paredes. He is widely viewed as a premier target for the Red Sox. He excels at pulling fly balls and hitting for power, making him a perfect fit for Fenway Park’s unique dimensions. Still, considering how the Red Sox were quiet in the last offseason, fans are not expecting much.

Still, Roman Anthony’s long stint on the IL may just force the team to trade a few.