The Boston Red Sox have found their replacement for Sandy Leon, and it's not necessarily an upgrade.
The Red Sox have signed free-agent catcher Kevin Plawecki to a one-year contract worth $900,000, USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale reported Thursday.
The Athletic's Robert Murray was the first to report Plawecki's agreement with Boston. It's unclear which player the team is releasing to make room for Plawecki on the roster.
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The move comes one month after the Red Sox traded Leon to the Cleveland Indians, leaving Christian Vazquez as the only catcher on the 40-man roster.
Coincidentally, Plawecki last played for the Indians, batting .222 with three home runs and 17 RBIs in 59 games last season. The 28-year-old spent his previous four seasons with the New York Mets, posting a .218 batting average over 237 games after making his MLB debut in 2015.
If the Red Sox want to think outside the box, they may consider Plawecki as an emergency pitcher; the right-handed thrower pitched two scoreless innings of relief for Cleveland last season and made two pitching appearances for the Mets in 2017.
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UPDATE (3:45 p.m. ET): The Red Sox officially signed Plawecki to a one-year contract Thursday.
The team designated first baseman Sam Travis for assignment in a corresponding move.