Gonzalez on IL; Devers position unchanged

The Boston Red Sox have made a roster adjustment by placing first baseman Romy Gonzalez on the 10-day injured list due to a left-quad contusion, effective retroactively from May 8. To fill in the gap, the team has called up second baseman Nick Sogard from their Triple-A affiliate, Worcester, intending for him to share playing responsibilities with Abraham Toro.

Nick Sogard was inserted into the starting lineup for the game against Kansas City’s left-handed pitcher, Cole Ragans, on Saturday. Red Sox manager Alex Cora expressed his view that Gonzalez’s injury is temporary, stating, “He wasn’t bouncing back the way we expected early. So it makes sense just to take care of him and he’ll be alright.”

Following a particularly dramatic victory over the Texas Rangers on Thursday, designated hitter Rafael Devers put forth a strong message, declaring his unwillingness to play first base. This statement prompted Red Sox executives to travel to Kansas City for discussions with Devers. When asked about the possibility of Devers stepping into the first-base role in light of these changes, Cora avoided a direct answer, saying, “We’ll keep talking about stuff. We’ll keep looking for our alternatives. We’ll do what we need to do to keep getting better. We’ve got Romy, we’ve got Toro now, and we’ve got Sogi. That’s the route we’re gonna have right now.”

Before his injury, Gonzalez had taken over First Base from Triston Casas, who is out for the season due to a ruptured tendon in his left knee. Gonzalez was enjoying a successful stint, batting .308 over 17 games with an OPS of .785.

Nick Sogard is making his season debut on Saturday after completing 28 games with Worcester, where he had a batting average of .188 and an OPS of .562. In the previous year, Sogard hit .273 over 31 games with the Red Sox. “He’s a good defender,” Cora remarked. “He’s a good player. We’ll mix and match with him and Toro. Today (Kansas City has) a tough lefty on the mound, so I think it made sense for him to play. The two of them will be splitting first the next week or so.”