Romy Gonzalez returns to Red Sox, who demote Mickey Gasper back to Worcester
Finally, Romy Gonzalez had his personal Opening Day on Sunday.
The Red Sox activated him for his season debut, in which he batted fifth as the designated hitter against the Yankees at Fenway Park, marking the end of a long injury saga that began last September.
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When a slide jarred his left shoulder, he never would have imagined what ensued: playing hurt in the final days of the season, trying to recuperate through the offseason, suffering a setback in January, showing up to spring training behind everybody else, trying to avoid surgery, having surgery.
That was March. It was an arthroscopic debridement. Gonzalez sat out the first half of the season.
“Obviously, I didn’t think this would be this serious. I’m happy I got it done. Just super excited to be back,” Gonzalez said before the game. “Just grateful … I’m excited to put the Boston Red Sox uniform back on and just competing and having fun with the boys.”
The Red Sox plan to use Gonzalez at DH and second base, as well as first base when they want to spot Willson Contreras, interim manager Chad Tracy said. But it won’t be in an everyday role, at least not at first. Gonzalez will play against lefthanded pitchers, including the Yankees’ Carlos Rodón, and some righties.
“We can strategically do this and get him in there in favorable matchups,” Tracy said. “We need to just make sure that we don’t overdo it. But having the bat there is important.”
In his rehab assignment with Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, Gonzalez went 2 for 18 in six games — but never played more than two consecutive days.
“To go out there and play second three days in a row right out of the chute — that’s not going to happen,” Tracy said.
To make room for Gonzalez, the Red Sox demoted Mickey Gasper to Worcester. His nearly two months with the big league club included being called up as a third catcher/lefthanded bat, an initial relative hot streak, an ascension to the top of the catcher depth chart, some run as the leadoff man, and an extended cold streak.
Gasper went 7 for 17 in his first five games and had a .211/.280/.267 slash line in the next 29. He batted in the top five of the order 18 times in 27 starts.
“His swings obviously have cooled off a little bit with the bat,” Tracy said.
To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox transferred Roman Anthony (right hand/wrist sprain) to the 60-day injured list. That does not change anything about his situation/when he’ll return. Anthony has not started swinging, Tracy said.
Duran sits again
For a second time in five games, Jarren Duran was on the bench against a lefthanded starter in favor of Nate Eaton.
Duran entered the day with a .198 average on the year, including .148 in June.
“Take a breather,” Tracy said, echoing his sentiment from Wednesday in Colorado. “We got two righties coming up for Washington the next two days. He’ll be right back there.”
Story time?
Trevor Story (sports hernia surgery) is doing “everything baseball-related [in] some capacity, even if it’s not at full speed,” Tracy said. But him going on a rehab assignment before the All-Star break is “probably too optimistic” … Patrick Sandoval’s fifth rehab start, with Worcester on Sunday: four innings, one run, three hits. He threw 60 pitches. Tracy said Sandoval will make at least one more start before the Sox consider activating him … In the same game, Jovani Morán needed only 14 pitches to get through two innings. The Sox haven’t decided if he’ll make another rehab appearance … For a fourth day in a row, the Red Sox didn’t take batting practice on the field. The first two occasions were travel-related, limiting the workload so players could rest/arrive late, and Saturday was a day game, when skipping BP is normal. And Sunday? “In the time we did that, we also have played very good baseball,” Tracy said. “If it ain’t broke right now, don’t fix it. Just let them go out there” … Tracy on the Red Sox going all the way to Southern California on Wednesday to start an Anaheim-Chicago-New York road trip: “It is a long way to go for three days.” He is glad the Sox have a day off before and after.
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