HOUSTON On Monday, the Red Sox optioned utility player David Hamilton to Triple-A Worcester and activated their recent acquisition, catcher Ali Sanchez.
Sanchez is the 26th player on a roster that already includes two catchers, Connor Wong and Carlos Narvez.
According to manager Alex Cora, carrying three catchers at the moment makes sense in order to handle Narv Ez’s workload. After missing the previous four games due to knee pain, Narv Ez made his comeback to the Red Sox lineup on Monday.
The rookie catcher has already caught 716 innings, surpassing his previous career-high of 565 innings across Double A and Triple A in 2023, which the Red Sox are also aware of.
In 13 games during the second half, Narv Ez is only 5-for-45 (.111 batting average), with.149 on-base,.244 slugging, and.393 OPS. In the first half, he recorded a.273/.347/.439/.786 line in 73 games (285 plate appearances).
According to Cora, it’s critical to look after Narvi. It seems reasonable to know where he is physically. So, we’ll see how things work out.
After starting as the catcher for the last two seasons, Wong, who still has a minor league option, has been the backup this season. His major league career included 65 innings at first base, 29 at second base, two in left field, and one at third base, demonstrating his flexibility.
Regarding Wong, Cora stated that he will initially receive some repetitions. At second, take ground balls. And in a few weeks, we’ll see how the roster appears.
Sanchez is eager to do whatever it takes for the team, according to Cora. Sanchez has also played some first base in the lower leagues and the Venezuelan Winter League.On Friday, the Red Sox claimed him off the Blue Jays’ waiver list.
Cora responded, “We’ll see how it goes.” I believe that the current situation makes sense. Hammy will be missed. Late in games, he was turning into a weapon. We don’t have that speed factor, but we’ll go with it for the time being as it makes sense for the roster.
In eight games for the Blue Jays, Sanchez, a 28-year-old Venezuelan native, batted.238 (5-for-21) with a.238 on-base percentage and a.333 slugging percentage. He struck out five times and had two doubles and two runs scored but no RBIs. Additionally, he hit six home runs and seven doubles in 54 games (199 plate appearances) for Triple-A Buffalo this season, posting a.279/.347/.419/.766 line.
