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BOSTON — By his own admission, things have not gone the way Romy Gonzalez had hoped upon his mid-season return from spring shoulder surgery.
Before Friday night, Gonzalez was slashing just .189/.271/.321 since he came off a brief rehab assignment for the Red Sox and made his debut. He hasn’t been able to find his rhythm at the plate, which has led to some frustration on his part.
But the beauty of baseball is that things can change in a hurry. Gonzalez was called upon in the bottom of the eighth inning to hit for catcher Connor Wong with a runner on first and one out in a 4-4 game with the Toronto Blue Jays, and roped a go-ahead double into the left field corner, scoring Jarren Duran all the way from first base.
The Sox added another insurance run later in the inning to seal a 6-4 victory, their 16th in the last 17 games.
“It’s awesome,” said Gonzalez of the feeling of coming through in a big spot. “I’m obviously no stranger to it. I’ve been doing it for some time now. Anytime I have my handprint on a win, it’s big time and it feels good.”
As essentially a platoon player for much of his career, Gonzalez is accustomed to coming off the bench for a big at-bat.
“I have my routine and I stick to it when I’m not (starting),” said Gonzalez, “and I’m just ready when my name’s called, ready to contribute any way I can.”
Interim manager Chad Tracy had told Gonzalez his number could come up as the bottom of the eighth began, so he readied himself, taking some extra swings in the cage behind the home dugout. Ironically, though he’s known as a lefty-killer, his spot Friday night came off righthander C.J. Van Eyk.
Gonzalez had a truncated rehab assignment at Portland and Worcester, lasting less than 10 days. That didn’t provide him with a lot of at-bats, but he was in a hurry to come up and help out the parent club.
“It’ obviously been tough,” said Gonzalez of trying to get ready mid-season. “I think anybody will tell you it’s not easy to hop in and play baseball at the major league level, considering (I had no spring training) and having such a short rehab assignment.
“But that’s the way I wanted it. That’s what I was pushing for. I wanted to be in the clubhouse, I wanted to be on the field, competing with the team. I’m giving myself that grace, trying to figure things out up here. But at the end of the day, I know what I can do and I know what I’m capable of and slowly but surely, I feel I’m feeling that comfortability in the box.”
Gonzalez said he hasn’t second-guessed himself for his quick return to action, despite his struggles. He’s glad his activation at the big league level basically coincided with the team’s turnaround.
“Considering the streak we went on — I’m not saying I’m the reason why; obviously I struggled since I’ve been back," he said. “But winning makes a lot of things easier and a lot of things easier to deal with. I’m just grateful to be back with the boys and competing.”
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