The Red Sox had multiple lefty killers in their 2025 lineup.

The 2026 Red Sox may not have any, at least for a significant portion of the season.

Romy Gonzalez will travel to Alabama Tuesday for a Wednesday appointment with Dr. Jeffrey Dugas, who will evaluate whether his injured left shoulder requires surgery. Dugas repaired Gonzalez’s right labrum in 2023, a season-ending surgery, and has operated on several current and former Red Sox, including right-handers Garrett Whitlock and Lucas Giolito in 2024.

“It’s a little more than a second opinion, I guess,” Gonzalez told MassLive’s Sean McAdam on Saturday, “it’s more of a ‘do or don’t’ when it comes to surgery. I’m just waiting to hear from him.”

Gonzalez revealed weeks ago that tests on his shoulder, which has plagued him since September, showed a small tear. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection (PRP) in January after suffering a setback, and hasn’t been able to participate in baseball activities.

The Red Sox have already accepted that Gonzalez won’t be ready for Opening Day. But Friday marked six weeks since the PRP injection, which typically takes effect within four to six weeks, and the tests revealed even less improvement than they hoped. Gonzalez also told reporters he’s still dealing with “lingering” pain.

The Red Sox have plenty of infield bench options, it’s Gonzalez’s bat that’s irreplaceable. He hit .305 with a .826 OPS in 96 games last season, and owns a .317 average and .931 OPS line against left-handed pitching since the Red Sox claimed him off waivers from the Chicago White Sox ahead of the 2024 season.

Eighteen Boston batters played at least 15 games against lefties last year, and the Red Sox had already lost three of the five who posted an OPS over .770: Rob Refsnyder (.959), Rafael Devers (.901) and Alex Bregman (.855). The Red Sox traded Devers to the San Francisco Giants last June, lost Refsnyder and Bregman in free agency this offseason.

Without Gonzalez, who led the quintet with a .978 OPS against southpaws, Nick Sogard, who had a .857 OPS against southpaws but in just 18 games, is the last man standing.

The historical context of Gonzalez’s 2025 numbers only underscores his absence from the Red Sox lineup. According to StatHead, he’s one of 26 players in franchise history to post an OPS of .978 or higher in at least 60 games against lefties in a single season. The first Red Sox to ever do so was Ted Williams, who had a 1.103 OPS in 61 games in 1948; Dwight Evans (4x), Manny Ramirez (5x), David Ortiz (3x) and Mookie Betts are also on the list.

Newcomer Andruw Monasterio, acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers last month alongside Caleb Durbin and Anthony Seigler, could help fill the void. In 109 career games against lefties, Monasterio has a .255/.352/.375 slash line. Durbin also hit .258 with a .717 OPS in 68 games against lefties in his 2025 rookie season.

Manager Alex Cora has long protected younger and less-experienced players, including Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Triston Casas, Devers, and 2025 rookies Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, from lefty pitching. Anthony hit .299 with a .903 OPS in 205 plate appearances against righties, and posted a .278 average and .770 OPS in 98 PAs against lefties. Mayer hit .248 with a .739 OPS in 109 plate appearances against righties, and .154 and a .416 OPS in 27 PAs against lefties.

“Throughout my career as a manager, if you look at my track record, all these lefties, they platoon because I know how tough it is,” Cora said in May 2024, when discussing why Abreu wasn’t facing lefties. “People forget we pinch-hit for Raffy in Game 1 of the (2018) World Series.”

But since early in the offseason, Cora has reiterated that certain players will face more lefties this season, particularly Abreu. The back-to-back Gold Glove right-fielder racked up 21 home runs and a .808 OPS in 349 plate appearances against righties last year, and only one homer and a .676 OPS in 68 plate appearances against lefties.

“We have to see if they can do it, it’s about that time. Especially with Abreu,” Cora said at December’s MLB Winter Meetings. “If he can hit lefties and if he can hit for power and play defense the way he’s done the past few years, he can be the guy.”

Gonzalez remains optimistic about playing in 2026. But as has been the case throughout spring training, he and the Red Sox can only wait.

“(Surgery) is not a season-ender by any means, in my opinion,” Gonzalez said. “I’ll just have to see what the doc says.”