BOSTON -- After placing infielder Tristan Gray on the paternity list, the Twins recalled outfielder Gabriel Gonzalez from Triple-A St. Paul, and he immediately made an impact on Friday night during their 8-6 victory over the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
Gonzalez went 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored. He collected his first hit, an infield single, in the seventh inning off right-hander Justin Slaten. Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras grabbed the ball and gave it to Gonzalez. To say Gonzalez was happy is an understatement.
“I’m very happy and excited. I’m just excited about the win, getting my first hit out of the way,” Gonzalez said through Twins assistant hitting coach and interpreter Rayden Sierra. “To hit it at Fenway Park, an historic park, is a dream come true. … [The first hit] was a big step. I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a kid. Getting the ball from Contreras -- that’s the guy I’ve been watching growing up in Venezuela. It was a special moment for me.”
Gonzalez, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the club’s seventh-best prospect, was hitting .216 (38-for-176) with eight home runs and 21 RBIs in 44 games in Triple-A. But in his last six games for the Saints, Gonzalez was swinging a hot bat, going 11-for-21 (.524) with three RBIs and a .615 on-base percentage.
“I made a little adjustment after listening to my coaches. I’m happy everything turned the corner,” Gonzalez said through teammate Pablo López before the game. “I have better rhythm, better recognition of the strike zone and I have a little more patience with the strike zone.”
Gonzalez found out about his promotion from Saints manager Brian Dinkelman after Wednesday’s 14-4 victory over Omaha. After arriving at Fenway Park, Gonzalez was seen practicing playing in left field and trying to figure out how to deal with the Green Monster.
“That made it all the more special,” Gonzalez said. “It’s incredible. I heard from a lot of people about how special [Fenway] is. I saw it in movies. I saw a lot of games [on TV]. This is a place where Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz played, so it’s really special.”
As for Gray, he has played in 26 games for the Twins this season, hitting .240 (18-for-75) with three home runs and 14 RBIs.