The Red Sox may have taken another hit when Mickey Gasper exited the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Cubs after an apparent arm injury.
Gasper came to the plate in the fifth inning with the wind blowing in Boston and battled all the way to a full count. He then unloaded on the sixth pitch, striking out with two runners aboard.
The swing itself wasn’t the only thing that stood out. Gasper appeared to wince immediately afterward, and as he headed back to the dugout, he flexed his arm, bent his elbow and pressed at his bicep while trying to figure out what was wrong.
A trainer checked him in the dugout, and Gasper then headed down the tunnel and out of the game. Connor Wong took over behind the plate.
According to multiple sources, including Tim Healey of The Boston Globe, Gasper left with biceps discomfort. That’s not a clean diagnosis, and for a Red Sox team already trying to patch together the final stretch, it’s the kind of update that sets off alarms.
Boston is already dealing with Willson Contreras, who has been out since being hit on the hand by a pitch on September 17. That came just four games after he returned from the injured list because of a hamstring injury. The first baseman isn’t confident he’ll be ready for the Wild Card round, which only sharpens the pressure on Boston’s lineup.
Gasper had cooled off lately, but his bat has still flashed enough to matter. He put together a huge run in the second half of August, hitting .400/.571/1.100 with three doubles, six homers and 10 RBI across 12 games.
Even with the recent slowdown, he’s still shown real pop in September. Gasper has four home runs this month, including one as recently as September 22, while hitting .196/.328/.451.
If Gasper can’t make it back this season, the Red Sox do have options waiting in Fort Myers on the “stay ready” squad. Romy Gonzalez is the most obvious name after a blistering September with the WooSox, where he hit .371/.410/.571.
Braiden Ward and Tsung-Che Cheng are also there, but Gonzalez stands out because of his MLB experience and the way he’s been swinging it lately. He also handles left-handed pitching well, and the New York Yankees are expected to throw at least two lefties at Boston in the Wild Card round.
Top prospect Franklin Arias is also part of that Fort Myers group, and he was in Boston on the night of September 24. The shortstop broke out across Double-A and Triple-A, batting .323/.400/.557 with 28 doubles and 25 home runs in 117 games. Still, the Red Sox have passed on calling up Arias earlier this year when infield injuries piled up, and they may be hesitant to turn to him now with the biggest moment of the season looming.
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