Red Sox have a catching problem with Connor Wong out; is Yasmani Grandal the answer? (2025)

CHICAGO — It has only been five days since Connor Wong suffered a pinky fracture that will keep him out indefinitely and, already, the Red Sox are reeling at the catcher position.

With Wong on the injured list after being clipped in the hand by George Springer’s bat early in Monday’s loss to Toronto, the Red Sox have been forced to scramble behind the plate. Inexperienced backup Carlos Narváez, who got off to a hot start offensively, is now effectively the starter with fellow newcomer Blake Sabol serving as his backup. In Wong’s absence, though, neither has produced — and the Red Sox might already be considering shaking things up.

As reported Thursday, Boston is bringing in veteran Yasmani Grandal on a unique free agent deal that will see him start at Triple-A Worcester for what is effectively a short tryout before a May 1 opt-out date. Grandal could be an option soon, but that’s something of a big ask for a 36-year-old who did not have spring training after remaining unsigned all winter. Boston also has defensively minded veteran Seby Zavala, who has plenty of major league experience, at Triple-A, though he entered Saturday just 6-for-39 (.154) at the plate. It’s possible more options are added to the mix in the coming days, potentially via trade.

Since Wong’s injury (entering Saturday), Narváez and Sabol have combined to go 0-for-16 with seven strikeouts and a lone RBI (on Sabol’s sacrifice fly Friday). Defense, however, is the bigger concern. Sabol, an athletic offensive type who has always come with questions about his abilities behind the plate, made two catcher’s interference errors and went 0-for-4 trying to throw out would-be base-stealers Friday night. Between Worcester and Boston, runners are 19-for-19 running on him.

In an era in which stealing bases is easier than ever, the ability to throw out runners can be a game-changing one. On Saturday, manager Alex Cora acknowledged Sabol’s throwing struggles but noted that Boston’s pitchers are to blame, too, for the fact 13 of 15 would-be base stealers have been successful against the Red Sox through 15 games.

“I think it was more than that,” Cora said. “Probably, tendencies. The score, it was 6-0 and they kept running and running. He made some good throws. It’s something that we knew coming into the season was a work in progress. But it wasn’t about him. It was about the whole group.

“It starts on the mound. You have to mix it up. You have to try to be unpredictable. You fall into patterns, that’s what’s going to happen.”

Boston’s inexperience has also shown on catcher’s interference calls, of which the club has four through 15 games.

“We just have to be better,” said Cora. “Tek (Jason Varitek) is all over them here in the dugout letting them know who you have to be close too and who you have to be distant from. The distance is very important. We want to get pitches down in the zone but at the same time, that can happen.”

Grandal might not be the answer to the defensive woes, as his average pop time (2.09) and caught stealing among average (-9) both ranked among the very worst in baseball with the Pirates in 2024. The Red Sox would turn to him for offense (he hit nine homers and had a .704 OPS last season) plus his framing abilities (86th percentile).

The layoff is also a concern, though if Grandal was willing to sign in mid-April, it’s almost certain he has stayed in game shape. With just 15 WooSox games scheduled before Grandal’s opt-out date, he’ll have just a short window to prove himself. A certain Red Sox pitcher who threw to Grandal in Chicago for four seasons thinks he’ll be ready.

“Some of the best preparation I’ve ever seen,” said lefty Garrett Crochet, a White Sox teammate of Grandal’s from 2020 to 2023. “Good work ethic. I just recall, when me and him played together, as soon as I’d get to the field, I’d get to the weight room and he’d already be in there going through his prep routine seven hours before the game. Always known to be a hard-worker and very heavily prepared.”

Every big league team struggles with having enough catching depth but the cadence of the Red Sox’ offseason put the club in a particularly tough spot. With Danny Jansen departing via free agency, adding a backup behind Wong was a clear need entering the winter, but the prevailing thought was that top prospect Kyle Teel would take over at some point in 2025. By mid-December, seven free agent catchers representing the top of the market — Kyle Higashioka, Travis d’Arnaud, Jansen, Carson Kelly, Austin Hedges, Jacob Stallings and Gary Sánchez — had already signed major league deals on a positional market that moved at warp speed. So by the time the Red Sox created a positional need by sending Teel to the White Sox as the headliner in the Garrett Crochet blockbuster, there was little to pick from.

It’s no coincidence that just hours after acquiring Crochet, the Red Sox swung a deal for Narváez, sending pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and international bonus pool space to the Yankees to do so. Just over a month later, they sent more pool space to the Giants for Sabol. Behind Wong, Boston entered camp with just Narváez and Sabol on the 40-man roster and three others with big league experience (Zavala and Mark Kolozvary) as non-roster invitees. The lack of proven options has become an issue just two weeks into a young season.