Who is the Boston Red Sox’s best catcher?
It’s one of the most interesting roster questions for Boston and one that Red Sox manager Alex Cora won’t know the answer to until Connor Wong recovers fully from his fractured left pinky finger.
Wong was placed on the Injured List on April 8; the 28-year-old catcher was set to begin his rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester Red Sox on Saturday, signaling a return to the big leagues soon.
Wong was just 2-for-23 at the plate before getting injured, but it would be surprising if Wong doesn’t start hitting in due time. Last year’s numbers for Wong show he could become an important bat for Boston: .280/.333/.425 slash line with 13 home runs and 52 RBI in 126 games.
Even once fully healthy, Wong won’t be getting everyday-type playing time, however, due to the emergence of 26-year-old catcher Carlos Narváez. The Red Sox acquired Narváez from the New York Yankees last December, and he’s already played in 19 of Boston’s 29 games at starting catcher due to Wong’s injury.
Narváez hasn’t gotten on base a ton (.200/.268/.354), but he’s shown some slug with two home runs.
Ultimately, it isn’t Narváez’s bat, but his elite defense that’ll earn him playing time and have him competing with Wong for opportunities.
On Sunday, Cora made a head-turning statement about Narváez’s defense, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith.
“Alex Cora on Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez playing time once Connor Wong returns: “He’ll play. I’m not saying we split up the week but he will play a lot. If you look at the numbers he’s been the best defensive catcher in the big leagues.”
That’s high praise from Cora.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Red Sox manage playing time between Wong and Narváez moving forward, and that’s assuming Boston doesn’t acquire another catcher this summer.
It feels like Narváez has the chance to usurp Wong as Boston’s go-to catcher if Narváez starts mashing, or if Wong doesn’t. In that case, Wong could become a possible trade chip in the future.
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