Are Red Sox Expecting Too Much From Romy Gonzalez's Return?

What's a realistic ask from Romy?

Sep 26, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Romy Gonzalez (23) runs home to score the game winning run against the Detroit Tigers during the ninth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

An awful lot has changed since the last time Romy Gonzalez took the field for the Boston Red Sox.

The utility man and lefty-killer Gonzalez was one of the Red Sox's most useful role players last year. His lingering shoulder injury that resulted in preseason surgery and sent him to the 60-day injured list was one of the first things that went wrong for the Red Sox once spring training opened up.

Now, as the Red Sox enter play at 29-40 on Tuesday, Gonzalez is set to play his first organized game of the new calendar year. The question is whether his team is asking too much of him upon his return.

What Gonzalez is, and what he isn't

Sep 30, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox first baseman Romy Gonzalez (23) takes batting practice before game one of the Wildcard round of the 2025 MLB playoffs against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

On Tuesday, Gonzalez is set to begin a rehab stint with Double-A Portland. According to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe, the 29-year-old anticipates needing about 30 rehab plate appearances before being able to return to major league competition, so the timeline might be somewhere in the 10-day range.

Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said this week that the Red Sox are anticipating Gonzalez playing a key role, which is fair, but only to a degree.

“With the power potential and the thump with the bat, we’ve got to get him involved,” Tracy said, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.

“It could be (against) lefties, it could be DH, he could play second base," Tracy continued. "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."

On a good team, which the Red Sox were for parts of last season, Gonzalez should be used sparingly against righties. He was better than his career average of a .616 OPS against righties last season, but he faded down the stretch as the shoulder started barking.

Against lefties, sure. Bat Gonzalez at the top of the order whenever there's an opposing southpaw on the bump. But it's unrealistic to expect this career role player to come back and suddenly help carry the offense.

This isn't to say that the Red Sox shouldn't be excited about Gonzalez's return. But let's be realistic about the ceiiling he brings.