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BOSTON — For weeks, the Red Sox tried to ride the hot hand by using call-up Mickey Gasper at the top of their lineup. Gasper has slumped in recent weeks, though, and is now heading back to Triple-A.
Boston activated Romy Gonzalez from the injured list and optioned Gasper before Sunday’s game against the Yankees Gonzalez will make his season debut Sunday night against the Yankees and lefty Carlos Rodón as the designated hitter. To re-add Gonzalez to the 40-man roster, the Red Sox transferred Roman Anthony to the 60-day injured list in a paper move that will not impact his timetable because he has already been out nearly two months.
Gasper, who was called up from the WooSox in early May when Anthony first hit the IL, has appeared in 34 games since May 10, starting 27. He. hit .328 with a .789 OPS (19-for-58 with three doubles and a triple) in his first 19 games but has struggled since. In 15 games since June 5, Gasper has hit just .143 (7-for-49) with two doubles, six strikeouts and a .406 OPS. The Red Sox have hit him either first or second 15 times in the last six weeks. Now, he’s off the roster because Gonzalez and Masataka Yoshida are expected to get most of the at-bats at DH in the coming weeks.
“Obviously, he has cooled off a little bit with the bat,” said interim manager Chad Tracy. “The quality is still really good. It’s more about with Romy active — and you know Romy’s not going to be able to run out there and play five or six games in a row at second base — so you’re gonna have to take him down some DH at-bats. You’re going to have Masa (Yoshida) take down some DH at-bats. The need to get away from three catchers and have more versatility on the bench was just imperative at this point. We rode that for a while.”
Gonzalez appeared in 96 games for the Red Sox last season and hit .305 with nine homers, 53 RBIs and an .826 OPS. He was particularly effective against left-handed pitching, batting .331 with a .978 OPS against southpaws. Gonzalez hurt his shoulder during the final week of the season and played hurt during Boston’s brief trip to the postseason. He thought the issue would subside by the beginning of spring training but experienced continued discomfort when he arrived in Fort Myers. After further testing, Gonzalez underwent an “arthroscopic debridement” procedure on his left, non-throwing shoulder on March 12.
“Obviously, I didn’t think this would be this serious,” Gonzalez said Sunday. “I’m happy it got it done. Just super excited to be back.”
Gonzalez is expected to see time at both DH and second base now that he’s healthy while also serving as a depth option behind Willson Contreras at first base. The Red Sox believe he can add an element to their lineup that has been missing all year. That begins Sunday against Rodón, though Gonzalez is just 1-for-16 against the veteran in his career.
“It’s been a while,” Gonzalez said. “Obviously, I haven’t played since October. I’m excited.”
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