Before the Boston Red Sox's April 1 series finale aginst the Houston Astros, Alex Cora made some major roster changes to try and stave off a sweep. Roman Anthony, who went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts the night before, will sit, alongside Marcelo Mayer. Carlos Narváez was also scratched from the lineup in favor of Connor Wong.
Cora opted not to offer specifics about Narváez's late scratch, but confirmed that the catcher isn't injured. The skipper's response to reporters has led some Red Sox fans to believe it may be a disciplinary action.
“I just made a change... I talked to Carlos a little bit. We move on from there. So one of those that I felt like we needed to make the change in the lineup, and it’s for the best.” Cora said according to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe (subscription required). "He understands. This is something that happens in every club. Or just happens to be early in the season. It’s the right thing to do,” Cora said, according to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe.
What is the "something that happens in every club?" If Narváez said or did something that got him into trouble, it follows that Boston would bench him afterward, as it's done before with other players.
But the Red Sox have had no public history of disciplinary issues with Narváez Sure, he's only been with them for one season after spending his entire minor league career with the New York Yankees organization, but it seems out of his character to be disagreeable about much of anything. Since it's not a confirmed disciplinary benching, we'll stop speculating there.
Red Sox fans confounded by Alex Cora's response to Carlos Narváez scratch against Astros
Cora could also be riding a hot bat. Connor Wong is off to a surprising start this season after he batted .190/.262/.238 with eight extra-base hits over 63 games last year. Through three games this season, he has three hits, including two doubles and an RBI, good for a 1.143 OPS.
However, Narváez has also started the season well at the plate. He has four hits in his first three games, all of them singles.
Regardless of the reason for Narváez's day off, the Red Sox should be thankful he's not injured. While it's great to see Wong off to a productive start at the plate, he already has an error behind the dish, which resulted in an unearned run scoring. Narváez is a much more capable defender and his skills are missed each time he sits.
Hopefully, whatever issue is plaguing the Red Sox and Narváez, disciplinary or otherwise, is resolved by the next game. Boston has a day off on April 2, followed by their home opener against the San Diego Padres on Friday afternoon, April 3.