WORCESTER, Mass. – It turns out Romy Gonzalez's setback in the third game of his Minor League rehab assignment wasn’t much of a setback. It turns out, it was just a lost weekend.
But one Gonzalez doesn’t think will prevent him from being activated halfway through this weekend’s four-game series against the Yankees that starts Thursday at Fenway Park.
Gonzalez, who had left shoulder surgery during Spring Training, was back in the lineup as the DH as he moved to Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday night.
The right-handed hitter suffered a hip flexor injury in the third game of his rehab assignment with Double-A Portland on Friday.
“I got hit by a pitch right on my hip flexor,” said Gonzalez. “Just tightened up a little bit. It was precautionary, and we checked it out and went from there. But everything feels good.”
Given that the Red Sox entered the day 30th in the Majors in OPS at second base (.563) and 28th at the DH spot (.632), the return of Gonzalez can’t come soon enough.
He is likely to get most of his playing time at those two spots and give Willson Contreras a blow here or there at first.
Without the hip flexor inconvenience, Gonzalez thinks he could have made his season debut Thursday.
“I’m trying to push for Saturday to be activated,” said Gonzalez. “We’ll see what happens. Definitely, I want to be in the lineup Sunday with [lefty Carlos] Rodón going, but I’m pushing for Saturday.”
Gonzalez will play seven innings for the WooSox at second base on Wednesday, and take Thursday off. Beyond that, the schedule hasn’t been set.
What hurdles does he need to clear?
”I feel like it’s going to take 15 or 20 [more at-bats],” Gonzalez said. “But overall, I’ve felt better than I was anticipating. Honestly, it’s just playing the game, being on my feet for a while and bouncing back.
“Obviously I didn’t have Spring Training. I’m getting that initial soreness that you get when you come back from an offseason. Kind of dealing with that. But it’s just a matter of feeling good and coming out healthy.”
In 2025, Gonzalez was an invaluable platoon player for the Red Sox, slashing .305/.343/.483 with nine homers and 53 RBIs covering 96 games and 341 plate appearances.