The Boston Red Sox have been battling through injuries since the 2025 MLB season began, and first base is their latest position to be ravaged by the injury bug. After Triston Casas underwent season-ending knee surgery earlier this week, the Red Sox were dealt another scare when 1B Romy Gonzalez left Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Texas Rangers with a back injury.
Another scary situation for the Red Sox at 1B with Romy González.
— Garrett Mashburn (@G_Mashburn) May 8, 2025
He’s coming out of the game but at least a good sign he was able to walk it off. pic.twitter.com/HrJlVMFT0S
Although the Red Sox infielder seemingly dodged the worst-case scenario, Gonzalez will at least miss Thursday's finale, according to The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey.
Red Sox Must Address 1B Needs After Romy Gonzalez Injury Scare
Make no mistake about it: it's great news knowing that Gonzalez is likely only day-to-day with his ailment. Having said that, another 1B-related injury after losing Casas for the year further highlights the Red Sox's need for more depth at the position.
With Gonzalez missing time, the Red Sox will likely be forced to start Abraham Toro at first base. The former 2016 fifth-rounder only has one hit in his first five MLB at-bats this season after slashing .310/.403/.480 with two home runs and 13 RBIs in 100 ABs with Triple-A Worcester.
As great as Toro has played in the minors, he likely isn't a long-term solution for the Red Sox's 1B woes. The Canadian infielder has only played in 106 MLB games since the start of the 2023 campaign, and only has an underwhelming .220/.284/352 slash line with 228 strikeouts across 1,184 career ABs in the Majors.
The Red Sox can't afford to keep featuring Toro in a starting role if they want success at first base. Unfortunately, their replacement options are limited. Manager Alex Cora already made it abundantly clear that he won't ask Rafael Devers to move from designated hitter to first base, while Boston has no interest in testing top prospect Roman Anthony in the role.
In other words, the Red Sox must turn to free agency and the trade market to help find a reliable 1B. Veteran 1Bs Anthony Rizzo and Jose Abreu are still sitting in free agency, while more names could become available closer to July's trade deadline.
For now, the Red Sox will hope that either Toro or Gonzalez can step up enough to keep the team's championship aspirations alive. The Red Sox currently own the 11th-best 2025 World Series odds (+2100) on FanDuel Sportsbook ahead of Thursday's finale with the Rangers.
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