I’m almost reluctant to type this onto the page, because I fear it’s a hope so delicate that discussing it in print could endanger its very existence, but alas: the Red Sox may soon receive a boost on offense. Romy Gonzalez, the Platoon Paul Bunyon himself, will begin a rehab assignment tomorrow with AA Portland. He will play second, first, and DH, in hopes that he can return by the start of the Sox’ next homestand ten days from now. “With the power potential and the thump in the bat, we’ve got to get
him involved,” said Chad Tracy. “It could be [against] lefties, it could be [at] DH, he could play second base. There could be certain righties where it doesn’t make sense [to start Gonzalez]. But whatever it is, we know the capability of the bat and the power potential that brings. We’re going to certainly get him involved.” (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
Romy’s return comes at an opportune time for the Sox, who still have no idea when the other Romy, Roman Anthony, will be healthy enough to swing a bat again. The problem for Anthony? His injury is actually kind of groundbreaking. “I’ve been doing this 32 years. I actually have never heard of a ring finger-isolated CMC ligament tear,” said one orthopedist. “The joints in which the ligaments get injured are usually not the CMC level … They’re at the knuckle or joints within the fingers. If you look up ring finger ligament sprain, you’ll find nothing — zero — because it’s not a common injury.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
Romy Gonzalez will immediately step in and give a boost to what has been the Sox’ biggest weakness in 2026: right-handed hitting. But he won’t be the only source of righty power in the lineup. Willson Contreras has been an absolute beast. “I think the approach of making contact, trying to make contact is working,” Contreras said. “I know that I’m in a good stretch right now, but I’m trying not to overthink or think too much. I’m trying to keep my game simple, make contact and let everything happen.” (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Given the offensive struggles, it’s fair to revisit the notorious Rafael Devers trade, which happened one year ago today. (Jen McCaffrey, Andrew Baggarly, The Athletic)
Last night’s loss wasn’t solely the fault of the offense, though. While he’s generally a strong rookie campaign, Connelly Early has been faltering a bit lately and is struggling to keep the ball in the park. “I hope those come back to Earth a little bit,” said Andrew Bailey of the homers he’s been giving up. “But when you look at the grand scheme of things, he does generate some whiff. The batted ball quality is a little bit concerning in that the slug is out of the park.” (Ian Browne, MLB.com)
But while last night’s game wasn’t much fun for Sox fans, at least the 5,000 Scottish football fans in attendance got to see some taters. Here’s a closer look at their joyous march to the ballpark. (Justin Turpin, WEEI)
