The Boston Red Sox have had a doozy of a time keeping their stories straight this year when it comes to injuries; there was a time when the months-long absences of Garrett Crochet, Roman Anthony, and Curtis Mead were all supposedly scrapes and bruises.
Though perhaps not quite as frustrating, the general silence surrounding Romy Gonzalez's status prior to the playoffs was hard to ignore. He absolutely raked down the stretch in Triple-A, hitting .355/.410/.538 with 11 extra-base hits with the WooSox. One would think that performance would have earned him a spot on the postseason roster or at least a late-season call-up to Boston.
Alas, we heard next to nothing about him prior to the playoffs. Chad Tracy finally broke that silence on Tuesday, though it was exactly the kind of update no one wants to hear.
Romy Gonzalez (elbow) is still a bit banged up so they are trying to get him healthy if there is another around
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) September 29, 2026
Romy Gonzalez's absence looms large as Red Sox prepare for lopsided matchup with Max Fried
Gonzalez's absence was already difficult to stomach with the Red Sox limping into playoffs with a broken offense. With Roman Anthony now out of the lineup for Game 2 of the Wild Card Round — following yet another hand injury he sustained on a recent swing — it's going to require a miracle for the team to produce enough runs to move past the Yankees.
Max Fried has absolutely owned the Red Sox throughout his career. In his five most recent starts in this matchup, the southpaw owns a 0.92 ERA in 29⅓ innings, with 32 strikeouts and 11 walks. There are only three players on Boston's roster with an OPS over .700 against him (min. 10 plate appearances): Willson Contreras (.721), Isiah Kiner-Falefa (.727), and Trevor Story (.829). Practically everyone else has been completely ineffective.
Not only does Gonzalez have a 1.016 OPS (albeit in just nine PAs) in his head-to-head history with Fried, he's also one of the Red Sox's best lefty-mashers (career 132 wRC+). Jahmai Jones is a suitable replacement in that role, but having to start Nate Eaton (55 wRC+ against lefties this year) because both Anthony and Gonzalez (and Mickey Gasper) are out is just about a worst-case scenario in an elimination game.
Tracy did leave the door open for Gonzalez to return in the next round if the Red Sox advance, but after their lifeless showing in Game 1 against presumptive American League Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler, that doesn't seem too likely with Fried and Gerrit Cole on deck. It's going to take an incredible reversal of fortunes in the span of 24 hours if this organization plans to play a single game of baseball in the month of October.
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