Mickey Gasper gets nod over Masataka Yoshida

It’s unclear at the moment whether this is the elbow again or something else. Rather than use Connor Wong again, the Red Sox have Mickey Gasper catching tonight for the first time since June 22.

Rutschman takes a seat, along with Mickey Gasper and Jarren Duran with the Red Sox rolling out a righty-heavy lineup against Angels southpaw Reid Detmers. It’ll be lefty-mashers Jahmai Jones and Andruw Monasterio getting into the lineup with Connor Wong behind the plate. The 28-year-old backstop has been playing through a lingering elbow issue since early September, but it hasn’t forced him to miss too much time.

Since the All-Star break, Gasper is hitting .327/.514/.865 with eight home runs, 12 runs scored, and 15 RBI. Despite being a switch-hitter, Gasper will get a day off against lefty Reid Detmers, with Nick Sogard playing first base and batting fifth and Andruw Monasterio starting at second base and batting seventh.

Gasper’s home run was his eighth of the season. He hit a solo shot off Shane Baz in the first inning. Gasper was inexplicably sent down last week only to return on Monday. Through it all, he’s hit everything in sight with a .283 average, .892 OPS and 22 RBI in 50 games this year.

We know that Rutschman is dealing with a hyperextended elbow, and Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said he will likely have to battle through that injury all season. Given how much the Red Sox traded away for Rutschman, this is not an ideal situation, but Tracy did reveal that the MRI showed swelling and bruising but no structural issues. Connor Wong will get yet another start behind the dish with Mickey Gasper at first base, but the Red Sox may want to see if Gasper can catch a few games given how well he’s swinging the bat.

Gasper was just sent back to Triple-A on Sunday with Roman Anthony off the injured list, but he’s eligible to return to Boston because Willson Contreras (hamstring) is now going on the IL. Gasper has hit a solid .278/.374/.466 with five homers and 19 RBI in 156 plate appearances with the Red Sox. He’s starting at first base and batting second on Monday against the Mariners.

With Roman Anthony and Trevor Story rejoining the roster on Sunday, the Red Sox were forced to make some tough decisions on their bench and Gasper wound up on the outside looking in. The 30-year-old has hit a solid .278/.374/.466 with five homers and 19 RBI in 156 plate appearances with the Red Sox this season. He’ll continue to function as extra depth at the Triple-A level.

On Tuesday, Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said that Rutschman “felt something” in his elbow during Monday’s game, but the team wasn’t concerned. This is now the second day in a row that Rutschman has been held out of the lineup. The Red Sox may believe they can beat the Marlins without his bat and want to ensure he’s healthy for Friday’s series opener against the Yankees. However, with Rutschman’s injury history, it makes sense to be a little concerned. Connor Wong will catch and bat ninth, while Mickey Gasper, who homered twice on Tuesday, is the DH and bats fifth.

Gasper is doing everything imaginable to prove that he should stay up with the Red Sox when Roman Anthony, Trevor Story and Isiah Kiner-Falefa return from the injured list. The unheralded 30-year-old journeyman launched solo homers in the second and sixth innings, respectively, to record the first multi-homer performance of his career. He’s gone deep an astounding five times in his last eight games after failing to leave the yard in 34 games to open the year. He’s the most likely candidate to lose playing time at DH once Anthony is back from the injured list later this week.

Gasper also walked twice, reaching base safely in all four of his plate appearances. He came through with a key hit in this one, delivering a game-tying RBI double off Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara in the fifth inning. The big question is whether he’ll have a role once Roman Anthony (finger) is back from the injured list relatively soon. He’s been on a roll recently, hitting .421 (8-for-19) with three homers and 10 RBI over his last seven games.