The Boston Red Sox entered the 2026 season expecting Carlos Narváez to be their everyday catcher. Two months later, they've pivoted in an unexpected direction.
Narváez's playing time has been cut to give more starts to Mickey Gasper, a player Chad Tracy is well acquainted with from his time managing the WooSox. Gasper was swinging a hot bat while the Red Sox's offense looked utterly lost (.273/.321/.338 slash line over 24 games), so he nabbed the primary catcher role without any warning to Narváez.
Boston also has Connor Wong on the roster, as well as Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Willson Contreras who could catch in emergency situations. The Sox have so much depth that they're finally comfortable shopping Wong ahead of this year's trade deadline, likely to acquire right-handed-hitting reinforcements.
But, like many things on this Red Sox roster, that decision came too late. Boston on June 10 hit a season low point of 12 games below .500 and a trade deadline sale could be the most prudent plan for its future. The sudden surge in catchers and their treatment is emblematic of every major issue with the Red Sox this year.
Red Sox's catching situation condenses every major issue with this year's roster into one position group
The Red Sox don't need three catchers on their roster, plus two other players who can also catch. Had they decided to package Wong in a deal for a righty bat over the offseason, Narváez and Gasper could be the two catchers and their playing time could be more even. Boston's offense also could've been improved before the team was beyond salvation.
According to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, there had been no communication with interim manager Chad Tracy about Narváez's reduced playing time, as of June 8 (subscription required). His offense certainly leaves much to be desired — he's batting .209/.283/.304 over 39 appearances after slashing .273/.347/.439 before the 2025 All-Star break — but a conversation would've been nice, and possibly motivating for the catcher.
Narváez is far from the only player who's had his role changed without communication. Rafael Devers was under the impression he'd be the only third baseman on Boston's roster last season and Masataka Yoshida has struggled with his severely reduced role caused by terrible roster construction.
A team with a capable roster shouldn't need to sideline its best defensive catcher for the minor offensive upgrade Gasper provides over Narváez. Gasper isn't a permanent solution to the Sox's troubles at the plate, especially when Narváez is a superior defender — he ranks in the 78th percentile in framing, the 73rd percentile in caught stealing above average and the 96th percentile in blocks above average.
Narváez isn't going to improve if the Red Sox don't use him consistently, and given Wong's status on the trade block, the former is the only catcher with potential to be Boston's future No. 1. The Sox may be past the point of playoff contention, but when they fall out of the race completely, Narváez should get more reps to help him develop into a solid all-around player.
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