Mickey

Gasper

The Red Sox needed to clear a spot on their active roster for the return of Romy Gonzalez and unfortunately Gasper wound up on the outside looking in. The 30-year-old has hit .243/.305/.308 with no homers and seven RBI in 119 plate appearances with the Red Sox this season.

Yoshida draws his second consecutive start in the leadoff spot against a right-handed starter while Mickey Gasper got a turn atop the lineup during Friday’s contest. Yoshida is hitting .200 (10-for-50) with zero homers and three RBI over his last 215 games. He’s been a complete non-factor for fantasy purposes this season and figures to lose playing time once Romy Gonzalez (shoulder) is back from the injured list later this weekend.

It’s either a guy hitting .173/.271/.250 this month (Gasper) or a guy hitting .175/.250/.200 (Yoshida). They’ve combined for three RBI in 103 plate appearances, with all belonging to Gasper. Romy Gonzalez could take playing time away from both (and maybe take Gasper’s roster spot) pretty soon.

Gasper is back behind the plate and hitting leadoff following a two-game absence due to groin tightness. The unheralded 30-year-old has emerged as Boston’s preferred leadoff option against right-handed starters, which gives him some appeal in extremely deep fantasy formats and two-catcher leagues.

Gasper has been dealing with tightness in his groin, and the 30-year-old will get another day off after missing Sunday’s game against the Rangers. Masataka Yoshida will hit leadoff as the designated hitter with Gasper beginning Tuesday’s tilt on the bench.

Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters that Gasper is dealing with the tightness, but the team also wanted to get Masataka Yoshida in the lineup. Gasper should be considered day-to-day with a good chance to get back in the lineup in the early portion of next week.

Gasper finds himself at DH and atop Boston’s lineup after going 1-for-5 with a run scored during the club’s 10-run outburst during Friday’s series opener at Fenway Park. The unheralded 30-year-old backstop has hit .272/.326/.346 with zero homers and five RBI in 90 plate appearances since coming up from Triple-A Worcester in mid-May. He can be safely ignored in most fantasy leagues. His presence atop the lineup is a more significant hit to Jarren Duran’s immediate fantasy appeal than anything else. It also seems to render Masataka Yoshida completely irrelevant as a bench bat.

It’s Gasper’s first leadoff appearance all year, though he did hit in the two-hole at times in May. Gasper is batting .154/.241/.231 in 29 June plate appearances, so it’s not like he’s red hot either. Jarren Duran has been dropped to fifth in the lineup as a result of this shakeup.

Contreras has been a fixture in the middle of the Red Sox’ lineup this season and has certainly earned a day off. The 34-year-old slugger is slashing .286/.384/.505 with 11 long balls and 33 RBI over 232 plate appearances on the season. Mickey Gasper will start in his place at first base and hit cleanup against Tanner Bibee and the Guardians on Sunday afternoon in Cleveland.

It continues to be a completely bizarre season for Yoshida as he’s basically been eclipsed by unheralded reserve Mickey Gasper and utilityman Andruw Monasterio for at-bats against right-handed pitching since Roman Anthony hit the injured list earlier this month. He can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats until that equation changes.