After completing a buzzer-beating trade with the New York Mets to re-acquire catcher Ali Sánchez on Sunday, the Boston Red Sox swiftly selected him to their 40-man roster and added him to the big league squad as a September call-up the following day.
Sánchez has just 47 Major League games under his belt, posting a .185/.222/.235 slash line in that span. Wong is slashing just .189/.253/.231 on the season, so there may be a scenario where Sánchez competes with Wong for the No. 2 slot behind Carlos Narváez. It wouldn't exactly be a clash of the titans, but it could be a roster battle that determines which backup catcher cracks the Red Sox's postseason roster.
With Narváez and Wong already on the roster, the addition of Sánchez give the Red Sox three catchers for the final month of the season. For now, Sánchez merely provides a safety net in case of an injury. But the fact that Boston even traded for him at all highlights a major roster weakness that the Red Sox must address this offseason.
Red Sox’s last minute roster move highlights Boston’s dire offseason need
The Red Sox need another reliable catcher behind Narváez, and Wong doesn't appear to be it. He has shown flashes at the plate but hasn’t been able to sustain production. If Narvaez cools off or misses time due to injury, there’s no steady bat to balance things out.
Catcher is the most physically demanding position on the diamond. Wong’s underperformance makes it harder to justify giving him steady playing time, which increases the workload pressure on Narváez. Without a dependable backup, the team risks overworking their primary catcher and diminishing his effectiveness.
Narváez can’t shoulder the entire catching load alone, and the Red Sox need another capable option to stabilize the position, protect against injury, and avoid weakening the lineup when Narváez isn’t behind the plate.
In a long season, every contender needs at least two dependable catchers, and Wong’s inconsistency leaves the Red Sox vulnerable. If Narváez were to miss time, the drop-off would be significant, and that kind of gap can cost a team games in the playoff race. And if the Sox feel as if Wong isn't bringing extra value in terms of calling games/aiding the pitching staff, then it feels like the Sanchez acquisition was solely to apply pressure to see who survives.
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