“Right now I think the ramp-up would be a little too fast and it would be a disservice to myself and the team if I’m not ready to hit the ground running and have a good build-up,” Gonzalez told Smith.
The 29-year-old Gonzalez suffered a shoulder injury in one of the last games of the 2025 regular season. He spent the offseason recovering from the injury and thought he was in a good spot when the calendar turned to 2026, but he began experiencing discomfort again after ramping up his hitting program last month in preparation for spring training.
Gonzalez is an important part of Boston’s lineup, especially against left-handed pitching. He is fresh off a career-best .305/.343/.483 showing, hitting nine home runs in a career-high 341 plate appearances. Gonzalez’s overwhelming amount of damage came from left-handed pitching, which he torched for a .331/.378/.600 batting line (162 wRC+) in 143 plate appearances. His .286/.318/.400 line against righties (198 plate appearances) was also solid, but even including that performance, Gonzalez is only a .243/.267/.349 hitter (65 wRC+) in 439 plate appearances against fellow righties.
If Gonzalez is indeed unavailable when the Red Sox season opener arrives on March 26, that would likely increase the chances that one of Nate Eaton, Andruw Monasterio, Kristian Campbell or Anthony Seigler makes the grid. Smith calls Monasterio the early favorite, but this will of course depend on the group’s spring performance. They’re all competing for the last bench spot next to the backup catcher Connor Wongexperienced utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa and outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida.
A healthy Gonzalez might make that competition moot, but it increasingly sounds like there will be at least one bench spot open — possibly more, depending on health or other trades. The Red Sox discussed their surplus of transactions over the winter with Jarren Duran stands as the most mentioned trading opportunity. However, Boston has – understandably – set a high asking price, which has not yet been met. There has also been a lot of speculation that Boston is trying to find a taker for part of Yoshida’s contract, but with two years and $36 million left to pay, that’s a tall order.
While the potential loss of Gonzalez is a blow to the team’s depth and potential against lefties, there is no indication he has suffered any setbacks or that he expects a particularly lengthy absence. He is making $1.6 million this season in the first of three arbitration seasons and is under club control through 2028.
The Red Sox open with three games in Cincinnati, where they will likely face a pair of lefties (Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo). They’ll then head to Houston, where the Astros will field a fine rotation before hosting a Padres team that also appears primed for an all-right-handed starting staff.
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