When Tristian Casas ruptured his patellar tendon on May 2, the course of the Boston Red Sox’s 2025 season drastically changed. In the moment it felt as if the Red Sox season was doomed. The 25-year-old Casas was slotted in as the Red Sox’s cleanup hitter on Opening Day and has been viewed as a Franchise cornerstone since he was drafted 26th overall in the First Round of the MLB Amateur Draft in 2018. 

In the wake of Casas’s injury, the Red Sox have platooned Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez at First Base with some success. Toro has played the majority of games for Boston at First Base with 65 and has hit a steady .239/.289/.371. Unfortunately, Toro has hit just .185/.237/.269 since July 1. His recent struggles resulted in Boston signing Nathaniel Lowe, who was recently DFA’d by the Nationals earlier this month. Despite hitting just .216/.294/.378, Lowe has hit 17 home runs and has driven in 70 RBIs, the only Red Sox to Drive In more Runs is Trevor Story. Before this season, Lowe ranked in the top 10 among first basemen in Wins Above Replacement from 2021 to 2024. Lowe could return form after a change of scenery and offer stability at First Base down the stretch of the playoff race. However, like Toro, Lowe has struggled mightily at the plate since July 1 with a slash line of .176/ .285/.328. On the bright side, he still carries a .745 OPS against right-handed pitching this season and can strengthen the platoon at First Base with Romy Gonzalez. 

 A former Chicago White Sox 18th-round pick out of the University of Miami, Romy Gonzalez has done nothing but steadily improve as a professional. After playing parts of three seasons in Chicago from 2021 to 2023, Gonzalez suffered a torn labrum that ended his 2023 season. Following the season, the White Sox placed Gonzalez on waivers, and the Boston Red Sox claimed him on January 31, 2024. Little did anyone know it would turn out to be one of the best moves of the Craig Breslow era. In his first season in Boston, Gonzalez played a career high 89 games, hitting a career best .266/.306/.723, but this season he has taken his game to another level.  Serving as the team’s utility infielder, Romy Gonzalez has had a breakout 2025 season for the Boston Red Sox. The 28-year-old has hit .294/.332/.518 on the season, with most of his damage coming against left-handed pitching. Against lefties, Gonzalez has hit an outstanding .343/.389/.641, and his 1.030 OPS against left-handers is the fifth best in baseball behind only Aaron Judge, Paul Goldschmidt, Ivan Herrera and Cal Raleigh.

Gonzalez has been the most successful aspect of Boston’s First Base platoon and one of the team’s unsung heroes throughout the 2025 season. One could argue that he deserves an opportunity to prove himself as an everyday player. Against Right Handers, Gonzalez may just hit just .252/.279/.409, but the MLB average for Batting Average and Slugging Percentage are .246 and .403 respectively. As Gonzalez is getting more at bats against righties as the season progresses, he has shown improvement, since July 1st, Gonzalez’s .729 OPS against righties is above the Major League Average, a good sign for a player seeking to become an everyday player.

His underlying numbers also show he deserves more playing time. Due to limited playing time because of an early-season injury and platooning with Abraham Toro, Romy Gonzalez is not qualified on Baseball Savant’s Hitting Leaderboards. Still, among players within his sample size, Gonzalez shows just how elite his bat is. Among players with 150 Batted Ball Events, Romy Gonzalez’s 94.1 Average Exit Velocity is tied for 5th best in Baseball with Juan Soto and behind only O’Neil Cruz, Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, and Shohei Ohtani, and his Hard-Hit Percentage of 58.4% is second behind only Kyle Schwarber. It’s a short sample size, but within that short sample size, Gonzalez is among the game’s most elite hitters. His ability to hit the ball hard to all fields has also been extremely impressive. 

However, there is room to grow. Despite tearing the cover off the ball, Gonzalez tends not to hit the ball in the air with a Launch Angle of 3.7, which ranks last among Red Sox hitters with 150 Batted Ball Events. If Gonzalez can evaluate the ball more, he could unlock significant power potential that we have already seen glimpses of.

From a defensive standpoint, Gonzalez has been a valuable member of the Red Sox lineup. He has played 37 games at First Base, 20 at second, and has appeared twice at third base. Despite being a natural second baseman, Gonzalez has played better First Base for the Red Sox and is currently Boston’s best defensive option at First Base. In 2025, Abraham Toro posted -3 Outs Above Average at 64 games at First Base, while Nathaniel Lowe posted -5 OAA in 113 games for Washington. Gonzalez has been steadier, posting 0 OAA in 37 games.

At this pivotal point in the season with the Red Sox in the middle of the Wild Card hunt, Romy Gonzalez is the team’s best option at First Base. Gonzalez has already proven himself a valuable player for Boston with his defensive versatility and ability to destroy left-handed pitching. His potential to become an everyday player is evident. Despite having a riches in position players, the job as Boston’s first baseman is up for grabs in 2025 and potentially long-term and Romy Gonzalez has earned the opportunity to try to secure the everyday job at First Baseman.