Mickey

Gasper

The White Sox are starting left-hander Martin Perez, which means we’re getting the first look at how the Twins will roll out their lineup against left-handed pitching. As one of the most platoon-heavy teams in baseball, the Twins will go with Harrison Bader in right field, Willi Castro in left field, and Mickey Gasper at second base.

Gasper was injured in a collision at second base Sunday and needed six stitches to treat his laceration. He’ll serve as a pinch-hitter, third catcher and maybe the second baseman against lefties while Brooks Lee is out.

Gasper, who was spiked in a collision while playing second base today, needed six stitches after departing. He’s supposed to be in line for a spot on the Twins bench, and it’d be disappointing if this takes him out of the mix.

On a day the rest of the Twins combined to go 4-for-30 with two walks. Gasper is batting .375 with a homer and just two strikeouts in 28 plate appearances. He might claim a spot on the Twins bench, assuming the team doesn’t keep all three of Brooks Lee, Edouard Julien and Jose Miranda. Even if the Twins probably wouldn’t take advantage of his usefulness as a third catcher often, his switch-hitting ability would make him intriguing as a 26th man.

Gasper’s departure frees up a spot on Boston’s 40-man roster for Walker Buehler. The 29-year-old backstop got into 13 contests last year in his first taste of the majors, going hitless (0-for-18) with four walks in 23 plate appearances. He provides Minnesota with a versatile bench option heading into next season and beyond. He’ll likely open next season back at Triple-A St. Paul as extra organizational catching depth.

Gasper is coming up as bench depth with Rafael Devers going on the IL for the rest of the season. The 28-year-old is still looking for his first major league hit after going 0-for-12 in his first taste of the majors.

Gasper was a phenomenal story as an unheralded 28-year-old rookie finally getting a shot with Boston for a couple weeks after toiling away in the minors since 2018. The 28-year-old is still searching for his first major league hit as he went 0-for-12 with three walks in 10 contests.

Bummer for Hamilton, whose season might be over because of a bad bunt attempt last night. He was hitting .248/.303/.395 with 33 steals in 98 games while mostly serving as Boston’s second baseman against right-handers lately. Nick Sogard was recalled in his place and will contend with Romy Gonzalez and Mickey Gaspar for playing time at second. The injury might increase the chances that the Red Sox give top prospect Kristian Campbell a shot in September.

The 28-year-old Gasper was crushing it in Triple-A, hitting .402/.515/.664 in 40 games, so he’ll get a brief look here with Jarren Duran’s suspension opening up a roster spot (because it’s a team and not league suspension) and Triston Casas not yet ready to return. It doesn’t seem likely he’ll stick this time around, but a nice first impression would do wonders for his future opportunities.