Mickey Gasper’s recent hot streak perfectly sums up the absurdity of the 2026 Boston Red Sox’s historic turnaround.
On Tuesday night, the Red Sox defeated the Miami Marlins for their fifth consecutive win and their 41st in their last 54 games. Gasper led the way with two homers in the 7-3 victory.
Gasper was called back up from Triple-A to take the injured Masataka Yoshida’s spot on the roster on Aug. 16. In his eight games since then, the 30-year-old utility player has hit .476 (10-21) with five homers, 12 RBI, and a 1.954 OPS. He has walked six times and struck out just once.
To put Gasper’s scorching streak into perspective, X user @cleetus069 posted a screenshot of the top 10 individual seven-game stretches in MLB history. Gasper’s 2.208 OPS in that span ranks sixth all time, only trailing greats Barry Bonds, Shawn Green, Bryce Harper, Babe Ruth, and Josh Hamilton. His name is mind-blowingly above the likes of Frank Thomas, Manny Ramirez, Ted Williams, and Sammy Sosa.
To call Gasper’s surge a surprise would be a massive understatement. The Red Sox initially selected the New Hampshire native and Bryant University product in the 27th round of the 2018 MLB Draft. He made his big-league debut with the club in 2024, but failed to tally a hit in his 23 plate appearances (13 games).
Boston traded Gasper to the Minnesota Twins after the 2024 season. In 45 games with Minnesota, he hit just .158 with two homers.
The Twins designated Gasper for assignment before the 2026 campaign. He was picked up by the Washington Nationals but DFA’d again just over a week later. Boston later claimed him on waivers and optioned him to Triple-A Worcester.
Gasper wasn’t expected to be anything more than a depth piece, but he has emerged as part of a productive group of role players who have powered Boston’s incredible run. Fellow utility men Nick Sogard and Anthony Seigler have also stepped up since being called up from Worcester.
Their performances have given Boston difficult roster decisions to make when shortstop Trevor Story, utility infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and outfielder/DH Roman Anthony are ready to return from injury. It may be wise to wait at least until rosters expand from 26 to 28 players on Sept. 1 to bring Story and Kiner-Falefa back, especially with both players struggling in Worcester.
Gasper and the Red Sox will hope to stay hot and finish off a three-game sweep of the Marlins on Wednesday night.
