After the Boston Red Sox traded expected catcher of the future, Kyle Teel, to the Chicago White Sox this offseason, catching depth became an area of concern in Boston.
The Red Sox's lack of depth immediately came back to bite them after Connor Wong fractured his pinky finger in early April. Carlos Narváez became the club's primary catcher, and it signed veteran backstop Yasmani Grandal to a minor league deal for more insurance.
Katie Morrison-O'Day of MassLive reported on June 3 that Grandal departed the WooSox organization. He is potentially considering retirement from baseball after 13 seasons in MLB. He never appeared for Boston, despite some of its catching woes.
Grandal had an opt-out in his deal with the Red Sox that he could've used on May 1. Instead, he decided to stick with the Red Sox organization, as he was comfortable in Worcester and wanted to get a few more at-bats with the team. Grandal slashed .256/.372/.397 with five doubles, two homers and 16 RBI. The Red Sox could've used his bat and his years of catching expertise — Grandal is a two-time All-Star and MVP-vote recipient. They stuck with Wong as the backup catcher, who's been unimpressive this season.
Yasmani Grandal departs WooSox, considers retirement from professional baseball
After his breakout 2024 campaign, expectations were high for Wong, Boston's last remaining return in the disastrous Mookie Betts trade. He slashed .280/.333/.425 with 24 doubles, a triple and 13 homers over 126 games last year, but hasn't come remotely close to meeting that production this year. He's batting .158/.262/.158 without an extra base hit or RBI through 24 games in 2025.
Wong has improved defensively, though. In 2024, he logged -13 blocks above average and ranked in the third percentile, and he ranked in the ninth percentile in framing. This season, he ranks in the 73rd percentile in blocks above average and the 81st percentile in framing. His defensive strides don't help the Sox's lagging offense, though.
Wong has only nine hits in his first 24 games on the year, and Boston needs better production up and down the roster. It could've used Grandal on the major league squad to see if he could give the lineup any additional length while Wong figures his rough luck out in Triple-A. But if Grandal is debating retirement, that time has already passed.
Grandal is one of a few capable bats the Red Sox have held in Worcester all season. Fans are still waiting on Roman Anthony's call-up, and Vaughn Grissom could be a viable option in the infield amid Kristian Campbell's vicious slump. But Boston has continued riding with cold bats while expecting different results, effectively beating itself.