The Red Sox are running out of good breaks at exactly the wrong moment.
Mickey Gasper became the latest hit to Boston’s lineup when he exited Game 1 of Friday’s doubleheader against the Cubs after striking out in the fifth inning. Gasper was seen flexing his right bicep after the swing and appeared to be in discomfort, which led to Connor Wong taking over behind the plate.
After the game, Gasper was diagnosed with a "significant" biceps injury. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported that Gasper will miss at least the first two rounds of the playoffs, and the injury is feared to be season ending.
That only adds to a growing pile of problems for Boston. Willson Contreras spent 13 days on the injured list, returned for three games, then was pulled after being hit in the hand and hasn’t played since September 17. Eli White, who had been scorching at the plate, landed on the IL and is done for the year.
The bigger picture is hard to ignore: the same club that seemed to catch every break in July and August has suddenly had the baseball gods turn on it. Through the summer, Boston kept plugging holes because whoever stepped in seemed to deliver, and that carried the team back into the race and into a playoff position. Now the script has flipped.
The final stretch has been ordinary at best. Since dropping three of four to the Yankees at the end of August, Boston finished 13-12.
The surge that powered the Red Sox for so long faded, and while they managed to stay afloat, the timing of this injury wave could not be worse. Even the weather worked against them, forcing the Sox to fly to Tampa for a single game before the playoffs.
Now Boston is headed to the Bronx for the Wild Card round for the second straight year, and it’s doing so without several important bats looking close to full strength. Contreras is available for Wild Card games, but he is clearly not all the way back.
Chad Tracy said after the second game of the doubleheader that Gasper’s injury is "probably going to take him out [of the playoffs]." Ceddanne Rafaela was held out of the doubleheader because of the weather and will enter the postseason with five at-bats and 11 innings played since September 2.
For now, the Red Sox are facing the same kind of adversity they dealt with early in the season, when Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet were lost. That’s the one reason Boston can at least feel familiar with this moment. But the summer cushion is gone, and the team heading into the Bronx has to find new answers fast.
In Other News...
Willson Contreras Just Sparked A New Red Sox Debate
After the Red Sox dropped Game 2 of the AL Wild Card series, catcher Willson Contreras offered a blunt critique of the way the team has been managed in big moments. His frustration centered on Boston's heavy reliance on data and analytics, a philosophy that has shaped plenty of decisions but also left room for questions when the margin gets tight and the postseason pressure rises.
Contreras pushed the idea that experience and veteran leadership still matter just as much as the numbers, especially in a series like this one against the Yankees. For a Red Sox team already trying to sort through the disappointment of the loss, his comments add another layer to the conversation about how much trust should be placed in the process when the stakes are highest. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Season Ended In The Worst Way Against The Yankees
The Red Sox season came to a halt in the most familiar kind of October pain, two losses to the Yankees in the Wild Card series ending Bostons postseason before it had a chance to build any momentum. For a club that spent the year trying to put itself in position for a deeper run, the short stay in the bracket made the disappointment immediate and hard to soften, even as manager Chad Tracy spoke openly about how much the defeat stung.
Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet both were dealing with injuries during the series, adding another layer of frustration to a matchup that already carried plenty of history. With the Yankees moving on to the American League Division Series, the Red Sox are left to sort through not just the final score of their season, but the feeling that their October ended in the worst possible way. [Read more 🡒]
Sonny Gray Just Made Bostons Offseason A Lot More Complicated
Sonny Grays first October cameo with the Red Sox gave Boston plenty to weigh going forward, even before the offseason conversations really begin. He worked 4.2 innings in the Wild Card series against the Yankees, allowed two runs and struck out five, then came out early at the decision of manager Chad Tracy.
After the series, Gray did not sound like someone assuming he would be back in Boston next season. The veteran right-hander said he was disappointed by the early removal and signaled uncertainty about returning, even after a season in which he posted a 2.72 ERA and led the league with 18 wins. For a team that just got a close-up look at what he can still provide, the question now is whether it gets another one. [Read more 🡒]