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Red Sox lefty masher gets PRP injection for shoulder inflammation; ‘It’s gotten better’
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- Red Sox lefty masher gets PRP injection for shoulder inflammation; ‘It’s gotten better’
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Red Sox utility player Romy Gonzalez , who mashes against left-handed pitching, dealt with inflammation in his left shoulder throughout the offseason. He underwent a PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) injection late in January.
The versatile 29-year-old right-handed hitter said he hurt his shoulder late last season during the Red Sox ' Sept. 19-21 series at Tampa Bay . Imaging showed the inflammation.
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Gonzalez said he still hopes to be ready for Opening Day.
"I've heard with those (PRP injections) you kind of feel worse before you feel better," Gonzalez said here at JetBlue Park on Monday. "This Friday will be three weeks. They say around the week-four mark you'll start to see improvement. That's what we're hoping for. But it's gotten better."
Gonzalez experienced a setback in early January.
"I got to a really good place and it kind of had a little setback when I started hitting," Gonzalez said. "I'm just kind of building back up now."
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Manager Alex Cora said "it's too early to know" whether Gonzalez will be behind schedule as spring training begins. He said the team will know more throughout this week.
"It's just a matter of him kind of taking care of that and see where we're at," Cora said.
Cora said Gonzalez's shoulder affected him during the American League Wild Card series against the Yankees . He went just 1-for-9.
"But he grinded through it," Cora said. "I think you can tell in the Yankee series every time he swung and missed, he was grimacing."
The Red Sox are considering Gonzalez to play some outfield this season. They used him exclusively in the infield last year at first base, second base and third base. But he has played a combined 110 innings in the outfield in his career with 68 of those innings coming in right field, 32 in left field and 10 in center field.
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"I've always been a guy that you tell me to play wherever, I'm always down," Gonzalez said. "Just trying to help the team win ballgames and put the Red Sox in the best position to win. So wherever they need me to play, I'm always down for it."
Gonzalez batted .305 with a .343 on-base percentage, .483 slugging percentage and .826 OPS in 96 games (341 plate appearances) last season. He had a .331/.378/.600/.978 line in 143 plate appearances vs. left-handed pitchers.
"No way we make it to the playoffs (last year) without him," Cora said.
Andruw Monasterio , o ne of the three players who the Red Sox acquired in a six-player trade with the Brewers on Monday , could fill in if Gonzalez begins the season on the IL. The 28-year-old right-handed hitter has played first base, second base, third base and left field. He was 12-for-44 (.273) with a .360 on-base percentage and .477 slugging percentage against lefties last year.
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"We think that Andruw is an above-average defender at multiple positions," chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said. "He's played second base, he's played third base, he's played shortstop. Also as a right-handed hitter, he's had some success against lefties. An OPS over. 800 against lefties last year. And so again giving us another option who can play the infield and be in a lineup against left-handed pitching is something that is important for us and he's kind of served that role very, very well in a couple of seasons with the Brewers,"
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