Gonzalez will get the start at the hot corner with Alex Bregman on the paternity list. The 28-year-old will likely see most of the time at third base until Bregman is back in a couple days.

With Rafael Devers out, Gonzalez started at third base in both games today and totaled three hits and five RBI. He’s up to .273/.314/.433 in 204 plate appearances for the season, which should be good enough to keep him on the 40-man this winter even with Boston’s infield situation looking pretty crowded at the moment.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora had Gonzalez grab a bat to pinch-hit for Dominic Smith in the sixth inning and he came through with a sacrifice fly to center field. He stepped to the plate to face Rangers veteran reliever David Robertson and proceeded to chop a two-run double down the left-field line to give Boston a three-run lead. It’s performances like this from unheralded and relatively unknown contributors that have been the hallmark of the Red Sox surprising surge this season.