Romy

Gonzalez

The 29-year-old isn’t eligible to return from the injured list until the end of May. Red Sox’ skipper Alex Cora told reporters on Saturday that Gonzalez has been going through his progression and that he feels good. If he doesn’t at least begin baseball activities soon, he may have trouble being ready to return when first eligible.

Speaking with reporters for the first time since undergoing a cleanup procedure on his left shoulder earlier this week, Gonzalez expressed confidence he’ll be ready to return when first eligible in late May. The 29-year-old infielder was placed on the 60-day injured list earlier this week. His absence creates a short-term platoon issue for the Red Sox at the cold corner because he was one of their most effective bats against left-handed pitching last year.

Gonzalez underwent an arthroscopic debridement procedure on his left shoulder and is staring at a recovery time of at least two months. By placing him on the injured list on Thursday the Red Sox cleared a spot on their 40-man roster for the addition of Danny Coulombe.

Gonzalez injured his shoulder at the end of the 2026 season and has been held out of baseball activities all spring after receiving a PRP injection in February. He’s expected to be sidelined for at least two months while recovering. Since he missed the entire spring, he’ll also need extended at-bats in a minor league setting before he’s ready to join the Red Sox.

Gonzalez has been held out of baseball activities this spring and won’t be ready for Opening Day. He received a PRP injection last month and hasn’t been progressing to the point where he can resume hitting again. There should be a definitive update on his status at some point later this week. He would be facing a lengthy absence if he winds up requiring a shoulder procedure.

This isn’t a surprise after Gonzalez hurt his shoulder at the end of last season and spent the offseason recovering. With Caleb Durbin and Marcelo Mayer seemingly locked into the starting second base and third base jobs, the Red Sox are looking to land on a utility infielder for a bench role. So far, Andruw Monasterio looks like the primary option until Gonzalez can work himself back into games.

The 29-year-old has yet to be cleared to perform any other baseball activities as he battles shoulder inflammation. It sounds increasingly likely that Gonzalez will open the season on the injured list.

Gonzalez told reporters that the inflammation first appeared at the end of the 2025 season and was getting worse as he began his early offseason workouts. The 29-year-old received a platelet-rich plasma injection a couple of weeks ago. While he’s behind schedule, Gonzalez is still hopeful that he’ll be ready in time for Opening Day.

Gonzalez was incredibly valuable for Boston last year, beginning the year as a bench bat and then emerging as a near full-time player. He slashed .305/.343/.483 with nine home runs and six steals in 341 plate appearances. He will likely be a valuable super sub for Boston in 2026.

It’s a classic post-playoff clinching lineup from the Red Sox in this one with off days for a quartet of veterans. Story, Bregman and Duran could certainly use a break as they’ve played nearly every day down the home stretch. Boston appears poised to let the chips fall where they may this weekend as they’re pretty much locked into the second AL Wild Card spot.