Roman Anthony out 4-6 weeks in brutal Red Sox injury blow

The Red Sox have been dealt a brutal injury blow as they grapple with the Yankees trying to chase down the Blue Jays for the AL East crown.

Star rookie outfielder Roman Anthony will be out four to six weeks after suffering an oblique strain during the fourth inning of Tuesday’s win over the Guardians, manager Alex Cora said on WEEI on Wednesday. He was placed on the injured list.

It appears the best-case scenario would see the 21-year-old return for the wild-card series, if the Red Sox are playing that round.

If Anthony is out closer to six weeks, he might not be ready until the middle of the ALCS, should Boston advance.

Anthony was the Red Sox’s top prospect when he got called up in June, and he quickly solidified himself as a major player.

In 71 games, the lefty hitter has a .292 average, .396 on-base percentage, .463 slugging percentage, eight homers, 18 doubles and 32 RBIs.

He has mostly been hitting leadoff for the last month-plus, though he occasionally hits third.

“I don’t know,” Anthony told reporters Tuesday about whether he’d need to go on the injured list. “I wish I knew. I haven’t dealt with something like this before. So I’d be lying if I said I knew. But again, we’ll know in the morning, I’m sure.”

The Red Sox called up utilityman Nick Sogard to take Anthony’s place on the roster.

Entering Wednesday, the Sox and Yanks were tied for the top AL wild-card spot and both were 2 1/2 games behind the Blue Jays for the AL East lead.