A 5-4 start isn’t so bad of a beginning for the Boston Red Sox. They have been scoring runs with frequency to begin the year. It has been a must considering how poorly some of their pitchers have performed.
Now in the second leg of April, the front office must begin to think about future moves. The leash on certain players has already tightened. It’s these three players who are feeling the biggest strain and should be gone by May 1.
1) Red Sox catcher Connor Wong will not be on the roster by May 1
Connor Wong is a constant reminder of the awful Red Sox trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers which ended Mookie Betts’ tenure here. We cannot fault him for this. It was a bad trade he happened to be a big part of.
Where we can point the finger is at how poorly Wong has started this season. He’s 3 for 20 and the owner of a .150/.190/.250 slash line. Compared to the output the Red Sox are getting from Reese McGuire at .308/.357/.462, it’s easy to see who should start the bulk of the games.
The Red Sox should already start to think about demoting Wong and replacing him with Jorge Alfaro or even Ronaldo Hernandez. The irony with Hernandez is that he came to the Red Sox in another increasingly poor trade by this ball club. Back in February 2021, the Red Sox acquired him in a deal that sent Jeffrey Springs to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Red Sox are scheduled to see him pitch against them this week when they visit the Rays.
We’re unlikely to see a matchup of Hernandez and Springs. However, by the time the Red Sox return home next weekend, a move at the catcher spot could happen if Wong fails to start contributing.