3 Red Sox players who won't survive the trade deadline

3) Red Sox catcher Jorge Alfaro won't survive the trade deadline

The Red Sox catching situation has been better than expected, but still nothing more than just average or even slightly below. Reese McGuire was playing pretty well but has been on the IL with an oblique strain. This forced Connor Wong, one of the pieces of the Mookie Betts deal, into a starting role.

Wong came in with relatively no expectations, but has done a very fine job as the starter for Boston. His 89 WRC+ is a decent mark for a catcher even if it's slightly below league average overall, and he's been rock solid defensively.

McGuire is expected to begin a rehab assignment next week, and once that concludes, he'll return to the roster to at the very least platoon with Wong. The person who will lose the spot is current reserve catcher Jorge Alfaro.

Alfaro has had an interesting ride to his season. He began the year in the Red Sox organization playing in the minors, then opted out of his deal to sign with the Rockies. He had just five hits in 31 at-bats with Colorado, then signed back with Boston to replace the struggling Caleb Hamilton as the team's backup. He's played just five games with Boston and has two hits in 12 at-bats.

Alfaro doesn't have options, so he'll be DFA'd when McGuire returns and will presumably elect free agency to pursue a full-time role elsewhere.

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