Connor Wong hits first homer since 2024 in loss

The double was originally ruled a homer, which would have been Wong’s first since Sept. 2024, but it was overturned. The ball hit the top padding on the wall, appeared to sink behind the wall, but then bounced back into play. It would have been his sixth career homer against Cleveland, which is kind of nuts. The only other team he has more than two against is Cincinnati (three in eight games), so it must be an Ohio thing. He has eight homers in 22 games against those two clubs and 15 in 359 games against everyone else.

Connor Wong replaced him. The Red Sox also have Mickey Gasper as a catcher option, so they wouldn’t need to make a move for another catcher if Narváez needs a couple of days off. Anything more than that, though, and he’ll probably land on the IL. Matt Thaiss or Jason Delay could get the call in that case.

Wong appears to have avoided major injury after rolling his ankle on a bizarre-looking play during the eighth inning of Wednesday’s win over the Phillies. He was replaced by Carlos Narváez behind the plate in the ninth inning of the contest. It doesn’t sound like a massive concern.

As of now, we have no idea what the issue is, but Narváez said the decision to scratch him was “nothing physical,” and Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, “This is something that happens in every club. Or just happens to be early in the season. It’s the right thing to do.” Hopefully this is just one game absence. Connor Wong will start in his place.

This means Connor Wong has won the job as Boston’s backup catcher. Thaiss put pressure on Wong this spring when he got off to a strong start as a hitter and also showcased his plus defensive skills and ability to manage a pitching staff. However, Thaiss wound up going just 4-for-21 this spring, and the Red Sox will see if they can keep him in the organization as catching depth. Gasper is on the 40-man roster, so he will likely head to Triple-A Worcester.

Anthony will get a few exhibition games under his belt with the Red Sox before joining Team USA for next month’s World Baseball Classic. The 21-year-old on-base machine’s perch atop Boston’s formidable lineup, which features offseason acquisition Willson Contreras in the heart of the order, makes it easy to project him as an impact fantasy contributor in the runs scored department. His ability to generate consistent hard contact, as evidenced by a 94.5 mph average exit velocity — the highest single-season mark by a hitter under the age of 22 in the Statcast era — portend immediate success at the highest level as a power-hitting table-setter. He’ll be an early-round pick in all fantasy drafts this spring. Here’s the full lineup: Anthony (RF), Ceddanne Rafaela (CF), Wilyer Abreu (DH), Contreras (1B), Masataka Yoshida (LF), Connor Wong (C), Andruw Monasterio (3B), Isiah Kiner-Falefa (SS) and Brendan Rodgers (2B).

MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo says it’s a $1.375 million deal. Wong had a disastrous 2025, hitting just .190/.262/.238 with seven RBI in 188 plate appearances, and there was thought the Red Sox might try to upgrade behind Carlos Narváez. Still, there just aren’t many quality backups available at the moment, and Wong settled for $600,000 more than the MLB minimum in his first year of arbitration. He might bounce back somewhat offensively, but he’ll definitely take a backseat to Narváez when it comes to playing time.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, a carpal boss is a bony overgrowth or lump on the back of the hand or wrist. The problem might have contributed to Wong’s downfall this season, as he went homerless while batting .190//262/.238 in 188 plate appearances. Although he’ll be relatively inexpensive as a first-time arbitration-eligible player, here’s a good chance the Red Sox will move on from him this winter.

There was some thought that the Red Sox would have Connor Wong start behind the plate with Brayan Bello on the mound, but Boston instead will roll out the same lineup as they did in Game 1. That full lineup: Rob Refsnyder DH, Trevor Story SS, Alex Bregman 3B, Romy Gonzalez 1B, Narváez C, Nate Eaton RF, Jarren Duran LF, Ceddanne Rafaela CF, and Eric Sogard 2B.

Narváez will sit out his fourth straight contest on Sunday afternoon due to knee soreness with Connor Wong continuing to handle the catching duties. It’s possible he’ll require a trip to the injured list if he’s not ready for Monday’s series opener against the Astros.