WEST SACRAMENTO -- Looking for a jolt against a left-handed starter, the Red Sox batted infielder Romy Gonzalez leadoff on Tuesday for just the seventh time all season.
Gonzalez didn’t take long to make a major impact in Tuesday’s 6-0 win, logging extra-base hits in each of the first two innings, but the good feeling was certainly short-lived. When Boston emerged on defense for the bottom of the second inning, Gonzalez had exited the game due to left knee soreness.
The issue appears to be minor: Gonzalez expects to return to the lineup for Friday’s series opener against the Yankees at Fenway Park. The 29-year-old is expected to sit for Wednesday’s series finale with A’s rookie right-hander Mason Barnett on the mound.
The first baseman launched a 426-foot leadoff home run off Athletics starter Jeffrey Springs to open Tuesday’s ballgame. Gonzalez came back up again in the second inning with one out and a runner on second base and lashed an RBI double into the right-field corner.
After Alex Bregman grounded out and Trevor Story fouled out to end the half-inning, Gonzalez prepared to take the field for the bottom of the second. But his left knee “kind of locked up on me,” Gonzalez said. He was replaced at first base by Nathaniel Lowe.
Gonzalez is in the midst of an excellent offensive campaign, batting .311 with nine homers, 48 RBIs and an .852 OPS in 84 games. He has fared particularly well against left-handed pitching, owning a .347/.396/.636 slash line against lefties in 2025. His 1.032 OPS against southpaws ranks fifth in MLB among hitters with more than 50 plate appearances against lefties.