Mickey

Gasper

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.

Gasper hit second in all three games against Atlanta this weekend, relegating Masataka Yoshida to just one start despite the team facing three right-handers. The 30-year-old catcher has hit well since being recalled from Triple-A, but it remains to be seen how long he can hold down the two-hole versus righties.

Connor Wong replaced him. The Red Sox also have Mickey Gasper as a catcher option, so they wouldn’t need to make a move for another catcher if Narváez needs a couple of days off. Anything more than that, though, and he’ll probably land on the IL. Matt Thaiss or Jason Delay could get the call in that case.

Gasper smacked a one-out double in the second inning but never advanced past second base. He then delivered an RBI single off of Nick Martinez in the sixth inning that finally got the Red Sox on the board. He also doubled to open the ninth inning. That’s not a bad way for Gasper to make an impression in his first start with the Red Sox.

Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters that Narváez is fine after being hit by a pitch during Friday’s contest against the Rays. However, he’s going to get some extra time off to recover with Mickey Gasper behind the plate in this one.

The versatile 30-year-old will add another bat to the Red Sox’ bench with Roman Anthony (wrist) landing on the injured list on Thursday. Gasper was off to a terrific start offensively at the Triple-A level, slashing .296/.429/.519 with six homers, 27 RBI, three stolen bases and a 27/25 K/BB ratio across his first 133 plate appearances.

This means Connor Wong has won the job as Boston’s backup catcher. Thaiss put pressure on Wong this spring when he got off to a strong start as a hitter and also showcased his plus defensive skills and ability to manage a pitching staff. However, Thaiss wound up going just 4-for-21 this spring, and the Red Sox will see if they can keep him in the organization as catching depth. Gasper is on the 40-man roster, so he will likely head to Triple-A Worcester.

Gasper had been with the Red Sox previously, so this is a bit of a reunion for the 30-year-old. He has hit .303/.406/.512 in 117 games in Triple-A over the last three years, but that has not carried over to the MLB level, where he’s slashed .133/.250/.195 in 58 games with the Red Sox and Twins over the last two years.

The versatile 30-year-old was just claimed off of waivers from the Twins last week, but he’ll head back into roster uncertainty after the Nationals needed to clear a 40-man roster spot for Richard Lovelady on Thursday. While Gasper has had continued success at the Triple-A level, he has struggled to a .133/.250/.195 slash line with a 28/14 K/BB ratio over 133 plate appearances at the big league level over the past two seasons.