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BOSTON -- Injured Boston Red Sox' utility man Romy Gonzalez has missed the entirety of the 2026 season after undergoing left shoulder surgery in March. On Tuesday night, he made his first appearance in game action of 2026 as he set out on a rehab assignment with Double-A Portland.
Here's what you need to know:
Gonzalez got the start at second base for the Sea Dogs, batting second behind Boston's top prospect, Franklin Arias, against Yankees No. 16 prospect Cade Smith. It didn't take long for Gonzalez to reacclimate to game action, as he launched a two-run home run to left-center in his second at-bat, a welcome sign for a Red Sox team in desperate need of power in their lineup. Gonzalez worked a six-pitch walk in his third and final at-bat of the night, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and a walk.
After a series of miscommunications regarding the Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet injury timelines, the Red Sox have shied away from placing timelines on players returning from injury. Though after missing the entirety of spring training, the 29-year-old Gonzalez will likely need a lengthy stay in the minors before returning to game action. Major League Baseball allows position players to be on assignment for 20 days before a decision needs to be made on their activation.
According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters that Gonzalez will play primarily second base and designated hitter during his rehab appearance.
With Marcelo Mayer sliding over to shortstop in the wake of an injury that will sideline Trevor Story until at least the end of July, Boston has a glaring hole at second base. After hitting .367/.424/.500 in the eight games following Story's injury, second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa has struggled mightily in his last nine, hitting just .207/.258/.241.
Gonzalez is coming off the best year of his career in 2025, hitting .305/.343/.483/.826 with nine home runs and 23 doubles in 96 games. The 29-year-old slotted into the lineup, primarily against lefties, where his 162 wRC+ ranked tied for the seventh-highest mark among all qualified hitters. Despite being a "lefty killer," Gonzalez performed well against right-handed pitchers as well, hitting .286/.318/.400 in 198 plate appearances.
Gonzalez should add some much-needed pop to a Boston lineup that ranks at the bottom of the league in nearly every power metric.
According to The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey, Crochet began throwing with a plyo ball on Tuesday afternoon as he works his way back from the LAT strain that led to his shutdown while recovering from left shoulder inflammation. According to McCaffrey, Crochet will continue to throw with the plyo ball for the week before potentially picking up a baseball.
Tracy told reporters, including Christopher Smith of MassLive.com, ahead of Tuesday night's series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, that left fielder Roman Anthony underwent a six-week check in MRI on the torn ligament in his right ring finger. While the MRI showed progress in the ligament healing, Tracy said that Anthony has still not reached the point of swinging.
The Red Sox are 29-40 and in last place in the American League East.
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Here's what you need to know:
Gonzalez got the start at second base for the Sea Dogs, batting second behind Boston's top prospect, Franklin Arias, against Yankees No. 16 prospect Cade Smith. It didn't take long for Gonzalez to reacclimate to game action, as he launched a two-run home run to left-center in his second at-bat, a welcome sign for a Red Sox team in desperate need of power in their lineup. Gonzalez worked a six-pitch walk in his third and final at-bat of the night, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and a walk.
When will Gonzalez be back in the Red Sox lineup?
After a series of miscommunications regarding the Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet injury timelines, the Red Sox have shied away from placing timelines on players returning from injury. Though after missing the entirety of spring training, the 29-year-old Gonzalez will likely need a lengthy stay in the minors before returning to game action. Major League Baseball allows position players to be on assignment for 20 days before a decision needs to be made on their activation.
What will Gonzalez's role be?
According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters that Gonzalez will play primarily second base and designated hitter during his rehab appearance.
With Marcelo Mayer sliding over to shortstop in the wake of an injury that will sideline Trevor Story until at least the end of July, Boston has a glaring hole at second base. After hitting .367/.424/.500 in the eight games following Story's injury, second baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa has struggled mightily in his last nine, hitting just .207/.258/.241.
Gonzalez is coming off the best year of his career in 2025, hitting .305/.343/.483/.826 with nine home runs and 23 doubles in 96 games. The 29-year-old slotted into the lineup, primarily against lefties, where his 162 wRC+ ranked tied for the seventh-highest mark among all qualified hitters. Despite being a "lefty killer," Gonzalez performed well against right-handed pitchers as well, hitting .286/.318/.400 in 198 plate appearances.
Gonzalez should add some much-needed pop to a Boston lineup that ranks at the bottom of the league in nearly every power metric.
In other Red Sox injury news
According to The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey, Crochet began throwing with a plyo ball on Tuesday afternoon as he works his way back from the LAT strain that led to his shutdown while recovering from left shoulder inflammation. According to McCaffrey, Crochet will continue to throw with the plyo ball for the week before potentially picking up a baseball.
Tracy told reporters, including Christopher Smith of MassLive.com, ahead of Tuesday night's series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, that left fielder Roman Anthony underwent a six-week check in MRI on the torn ligament in his right ring finger. While the MRI showed progress in the ligament healing, Tracy said that Anthony has still not reached the point of swinging.
The Red Sox are 29-40 and in last place in the American League East.
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Remember to join our RED SOX on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Red Sox fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!
Continue reading...
