WORCESTER — Infielder Romy Gonzalez admits that he rushed his rehab assignment.
“Yeah, 100%. There’s no doubt about it,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez — who missed 81 games after undergoing shoulder surgery in March — appeared in just six rehab games from June 16-26 before the Red Sox activated him from the 60-day injured list.
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“Where the team was at and all the injuries we had, it was my plan to kind of rush back and be up there,” Gonzalez said. “Obviously, hindsight’s 20/20.”
Gonzalez struggled with Boston, batting .185 (12-for-65). The Red Sox optioned him to Triple-A Worcester on Aug. 4 to make room on the active roster for outfielder Eli White, who they acquired from the Braves on Aug. 3.
“I don’t think I would have changed anything really. I was coming from a place where I wanted to win and contribute,” Gonzalez said. “And it just didn’t work out that way. I feel I’ve got the swing back and just feeling really good now.”
Gonzalez, a right-handed hitter known to mash left-handed pitching, has found his swing with Worcester. In 24 games since being optioned, he’s batting .344 with a .400 on-base percentage, .505 slugging percentage and .905 OPS.
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“(He’s) hit the crap out of the ball — that’s for sure,” Worcester acting manager Iggy Suarez said.
Suarez added that Gonzalez is “always an option” for Boston.
“I’m ready whenever my name’s called,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez was a crucial part of the 2025 team. He batted .305 with a .343 on-base percentage, .483 slugging percentage and .826 OPS in 96 games (341 plate appearances) for Boston in 2025. He hit .331 with a .378 on-base percentage, .600 slugging percentage and .978 OPS in 143 plate appearances vs. left-handed pitchers.
“I’ve always been extremely confident in what I can do,” Gonzalez said. “I think I’ve showed that over the past two seasons.”
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Combined between 2024 and ’25, he batted .290 with 15 home runs, 33 doubles and four triples for Boston.
“Obviously here, my last 80, 90 at-bats have been really good,” he said. “I’m a positive person. I’m very blessed and fortunate to be playing this game. So it’s just about having that perspective. It’s a blessing to be able put on a uniform and do what I love every day.”
Gonzalez, who turned 30 on Sept. 6, said receiving consistent at-bats has gotten him on track. He took zero at-bats during spring training and 18 at-bats during his rehab assignment.
“In spring training, typically we get 30, 40 at-bats, and not to mention all the at-bats we get in the backfields against our own guys and whatnot,” Gonzalez said. “So just getting the volume of at-bats and just working on the things that I know that get me to where I need to be and not be so results oriented.
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“Obviously up there you’re chasing results,” he added. “You want to win the ballgame, so obviously you’ve got to perform. Just being down here allowed me to reset and just not have the pressure, not feel rushed at all to kind of get back into that groove.”
Gonzalez also pointed out that he took just 65 at-bats for Boston.
“So the sample’s not even crazy,” he said. “I have one good week and I’m right back and having pretty solid numbers. Obviously the numbers are in our face. Every time we look up at the scoreboard, they’re right there in front of us. We’re not oblivious to the fact that this is a results-based game. I went up there and things didn’t shake out the way I wanted them to. But I’m happy to get down here and reset.”
Gonzalez missed five games last week with a left elbow issue but he was back in the lineup Tuesday and “feeling good,” he said.
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Suarez said Gonzalez might have pressed when he first got optioned to Worcester but he’s recently shown his ability “to drive the ball the other way with some authority.”
“Once you start seeing him staying in on pitches and driving the ball up the middle … that’s pretty good,” Suarez said.
The Red Sox have eight prospects who will participate in the 2026 Arizona Fall League for Mesa.
Shortstop/second baseman Mason White headlines the list as the top organizational prospect heading to Arizona.
White, a 2025 fourth-round pick out of Arizona, belted 18 home runs, 18 doubles and four triples in 101 games combined between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland in his first full professional season. The 22-year-old batted .251 with a .353 on-base percentage, .480 slugging percentage and .833 OPS in 411 plate appearances.
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Antonio Anderson (3B/1B), Harry Blum (RHP), Madinson Frias (RHP), Nicholas Judice (RHP), Trennor O’Donnell (RHP), Caden Vire (LHP) and Nazzan Zanetello (IF) also will play for Mesa.
Anderson, a 2023 third-round pick, enjoyed a breakout season in 2026 for Greenville. The 21-year-old struggled early in the season but he batted .324 with a .412 on-base percentage, .559 slugging percentage, .971 OPS, eight home runs, 14 doubles and three triples in 54 games during the second half.
Judice, 25, was acquired by the Red Sox from the Yankees with Greg Weissert and Richard Fitts for Alex Verdugo in December 2023. He has pitched in just 19 games in the Red Sox organization due to arm injuries. Low-A Salem activated him from the 60-day injured list on Aug. 11.
Franklin Arias said he will begin the offseason by spending a month at the Red Sox’ JetBlue Park complex in Fort Myers. The 20-year-old shortstop will then return to Venezuela to work out there.
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“He’s an All-Star, for sure,” Suarez said. “That guy is a freak of an athlete. You see the wiry frame and the impact he provides on the baseball. I mean at that age, too.”
Arias, who Baseball America ranks No. 2 on its Top 100 list, is batting .331 with a .392 on-base percentage, .503 slugging percentage and .895 OPS in 38 games since his promotion to Worcester.
“I want to get better on everything, especially my swing decisions, my body, on being more agile, staying healthy,” Franklin Arias said Tuesday through translator Juan Montero. “Those things I want to keep improving on.”
Suarez said he’s impressed with the way Arias has been able to slow down the game while also adjusting to pitchers after they have made adjustments against him.
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“He’ll chase, but then he recognizes chasing and he’ll adjust very quickly,” Suarez said.
Kristian Campbell was wearing a boot in the WooSox clubhouse on Tuesday. The WooSox placed the 24-year-old outfielder on the seven-day injured list Thursday with a left foot contusion.
“Still feeling it,” Suarez said.
Campbell batted .311 with a .430 on-base percentage, .497 slugging percentage and .927 OPS in 51 games for the WooSox during the second half.
“He was a big part of what we’ve been doing, so it’s definitely a downer,” Suarez said.
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Braiden Ward set Worcester’s stolen base record with his 58th on Saturday against Lehigh Valley.
He passed David Hamilton who stole 57 bases in 2023.
“I know he was chasing it,” Suarez said. “There was a time early in Buffalo you could tell he was anxious and gunning for it and we all knew it. And we let him know, like, ‘Hey, if it’s within reach, you go for it. We’re not going to try and hold you back. But let’s not be reckless.’ He was getting a little reckless and he knew it.
“That’s just the type of person he is,” Suarez added. “But it was cool to kind of see. You kind of see the weight lifted off his shoulders. And he still has a number in mind and he’s still going to chase it.”
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Ward not only leads the International League in steals. His 30 hit by pitches also leads the league.
“He doesn’t move out of the way,” Suarez said.
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