Former Red Sox Fan-Favorite Miraculously Makes Twins Opening Day Roster

If you're not rooting for this guy, you don't have a pulse

Aug 25, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Minnesota Twins hat and glove lays on the field during the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

A former Boston Red Sox player who made a legendary rise to the big leagues in 2024 was informed on Monday that he’s made the Minnesota Twins’ Opening Day roster.

Last year’s Red Sox season had its fair share of disappointments, but there were also some unforgettable storylines. Perhaps none of those narratives was more compelling than the emergence of then-28-year-old minor leaguer Mickey Gasper, a catcher Boston acquired from the New York Yankees in the Rule 5 draft on December 6, 2023.

Upon joining the Red Sox, Gasper had played half a decade in the Yankees’ farm system (New York selected him in round No. 27 of the 2018 MLB draft).

Something about wearing a Red Sox uniform changed Gasper, however. He played well in 44 games with Double-A Portland Sea Dogs to start the 2024 campaign and then went absolutely nuclear at the plate once he was promoted to Triple-A, slashing .402/.515/.664 with eight homers and 32 RBI in 40 games for the Worcester Red Sox.

Not surprisingly, Gasper’s torrid stretch caught the attention of a lot of people, and he was promoted to the major leagues on August 12. 

In his first plate appearance as a big leaguer, Gasper drew a pivotal walk in the tenth inning of a nail-biter versus the Texas Rangers, and the Red Sox ultimately won the game.

Gasper ended up playing in 13 games for Boston last season and failed to register a base hit, although he did draw four walks. The Red Sox traded him to Minnesota on December 24 for Jovani Morán.

On Monday, Star Tribune’s Bobby Nightengale reported that Gasper will be a member of the Twins’ official roster on Opening Day.

“Mickey Gasper is OK after leaving yesterday’s game with a nasty cut on his ankle, and he was informed he made the Twins’ Opening Day roster,” Nightengale wrote.

Although Gasper’s time in Boston was brief, the memory of his rise will live on. Red Sox fans won’t be able to help themselves from rooting for Gasper in the months and years to come.

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