Romy Gonzalez began a rehab assignment at Double-A on Tuesday.
Prior to the season, I outlined the impact of Romy Gonzalez’s injury, combined with the Red Sox letting Rob Refsnyder go to Seattle. I worried that the lineup would struggle against left-handers without both of them. I should have also added that the lineup would struggle against right-handers without both of them.
Sure, Gonzalez’ .978 OPS in 143 plate appearances against lefties would be welcomed. But his explosive bat was pretty good
against everybody a year ago. Romy hit .286 with a .718 OPS against right-handers a year ago. Of players with 100+ plate appearances this season, the only Red Sox with a higher OPS than .718 against all pitchers are Willson Contreras, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu. Outside of these three hitters, no one is owed anything in terms of playing time going forward. This lineup team is broken.
He could return during the upcoming road trip, but should be back for the Yankees series on Thursday, at the latest. As Gonzalez embarked on his rehab assignment, manager Chad Tracy said, “With the power potential and the thump with the bat, we’ve got to get him involved.”
How involved, though? Gonzalez played second base on Tuesday and designated hitter on Wednesday. Tracy mentioned they’ll work him in at first base in the minor leagues to be the backup to Contreras at first base. In my mind, Romy should be an everyday player. Mix him in at shortstop during the rehab, where he has played 117 MLB innings defensively, so that he can shift over there if Marcelo Mayer (.588 OPS) continues slumping.
Additionally, who should be the corresponding move? Andruw Monasterio plays all of the same positions that Gonzalez does, and over the past 30 days, he’s slashing .194/.242/.355 with a 42.4% K-rate. The Red Sox are also carrying three catchers, who have a combined total of 2 home runs and 19 RBI in 329 plate appearances. One of whom is Connor Wong, whose last home run came on September 8th, 2024 (!!!), and still has an option remaining.
A reminder that a year ago, Romy had the seventh best batting average (.305) in all of baseball, out of players with 300+ plate appearances.
How often do you think Romy should play, and who should hit the road? Discuss in the comments, and be good to each other.
