Catching depth has been an area of need for the Boston Red Sox all season, but a recent injury scare to Carlos Narváez sent a shock through the team and its fanbase.
As Narváez ran out a ground ball during Boston's August 5 game against the Royals, his running slowed and he limped back to the dugout to speak with trainers. He played the rest of the game, but Connor Wong started the next game. Narváez had imaging taken of his knee, which did not reveal any structural damage, but he may still be placed on the injured list.
To bolster their catching depth, the Red Sox claimed Ali Sánchez off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays, per a release from the team. Sánchez brings Boston's 40-man roster to capacity — there were spots open from Hunter Dobbins' and Tanner Houck's 60-day injured list placements. Sánchez is out of minor league options and he'll join the Red Sox in San Diego to face the Padres.
Sánchez has 46 games of MLB experience between four seasons from 2020-25. He posted eight games with the Blue Jays this year and batted .238/.238/.333 with two doubles and five strikeouts. Most of his season has been spent with Triple-A Buffalo, where he's batted .279/.347/.419 with seven doubles, six home runs and 47 strikeouts over 57 games. He's made three errors behind the plate in 374 innings, good for a .993 fielding percentage.
Red Sox claim catcher Ali Sánchez off waivers from Blue Jays as insurance for potential Carlos Narváez injury
The #RedSox today claimed C Ali Sánchez off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays. Boston’s 40-man roster is now at 40.
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 8, 2025
There was some smoke that the Red Sox might've added a catcher at the trade deadline as insurance for Connor Wong's struggles at the plate. Wong is batting .160/.235/.179 with two doubles and two RBI in 41 appearances this season, which is an unexpected regression from his breakout campaign in 2024. He slashed .280/.333/.425 in 126 games last year and managed the majority of the Sox's catching workload well. In 2025, he swiftly lost his starting job to Narváez, who was much better both at and behind the plate earlier in the season. He's cooled down offensively in recent weeks, and is batting .186/.236/.319 in his last 30 games.
If Narváez needs an IL stint, the Red Sox could turn to either Wong or Sánchez as the backup, with similar results. They also have Chadwick Tromp and Seby Zavala as additional options in Triple-A, but Sánchez can't be optioned so it may be hard to fit either of them on the roster.