Boston's Romy Gonzalez to Begin Rehab Assignment
Coming off of their first home series win since April 6, the Boston Red Sox had the opportunity to clinch a statement series sweep against the Texas Rangers on Sunday night.
On the first pitch of the game, Texas's Wyatt Langford set the tone for the kind of game it would be, obliterating the first of four home runs that would top the Green Monster throughout the affair. Willson Contreras matched the Rangers two homers with his number 15 and 16 on the year, but it wasn't enough for the Red Sox to complete a comeback, as they fell 6-4.
It was an emblematic loss for the Sox's season. While Contreras twice gave his team a spark, they were unable to capture it and provide the necessary run support to pick up their young pitcher on a night where he didn't have his best stuff. Boston's main challenge remains on the offensive side, specifically in their need for some additional right-handed pop.
This is evident in the front office's reported probing of the trade market and in their struggles at the usually batter-friendly Fenway Park. As desperation has seemingly started to creep in, a trade could certainly be in the cards for Craig Breslow. But in the interim, the Red Sox are expecting a big contribution from an internal source that fits their exact needs.
Romy Gonzalez, who has yet to play this season after undergoing shoulder surgery in March, is now slated to play in his first rehab game on Tuesday with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs.
Gonzalez is eyeing around 30 plate appearances to feel comfortable swinging with his left, non-throwing shoulder. He will begin the rehab stint as a designated hitter before eventually getting work on the infield. Since he hasn't seen game action since the Wild Card round last year, Gonzalez could face a minor league assignment close to the maximum 20 days before being activated, though he told Tim Healy of the Boston Globe that he doesn't expect it to take that long.
Romy Gonzalez will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Portland on Tuesday, he said.
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) June 12, 2026
He is allowed up to 20 days but doesn't intend to take that long. He is looking for about 30 plate appearances before returning to the majors.
The 29-year-old became a crucial part of the Red Sox postseason push in 2025 as a strong platoon option at first and second base with a knack for getting on base and big power. Gonzalez crushed left-handed pitching, batting .331 with a .978 OPS in 130 at-bats against lefties. Over the whole season, he hit .305 with an .826 OPS with nine home runs and 53 RBI.
With Contreras now penciled in as the everyday first baseman, Gonzalez is likely to get his looks at second base or as a DH. On Sunday, manager Chad Tracy told MassLive's Chris Cotillo how important it will be to get him involved and talked about some of the possibilities he sees for the veteran utilityman.
"It could be (against) lefties, it could be DH, he could play second base," Tracy said. "There could be certain righties where it doesn't make sense. We know the capability in the bat and we know the power potential that brings. We're going to certainly get him involved."
As long as everything goes smoothly, this would put him on track for an early-July return. The righty slugger is expected to see regular playing time early, likely cutting into the playing time of Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Andruw Monasterio. While Kiner-Falefa should still see reps at shortstop when the Sox face a lefty, Monasterio could be optioned to Triple-A for more at-bats.
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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 9:49 AM.