Connor

Wong

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.

It’s the second straight game that the 26-year-old backstop has missed due to soreness in his knee. He’s still considered day-to-day and is tentatively expected to return to the Red Sox’ starting lineup on Saturday. Connor Wong will do the catching in his absence on Friday night and will bat ninth against Nick Pivetta and the Padres.

Unless they think Sánchez is an upgrade over Connor Wong, the Red Sox might just want three catchers for a few days with Carlos Narváez banged up. Or maybe Narváez needs an IL stint. Sánchez is out of options, so he’ll be added to the major league roster.

Connor Wong will handle the catching duties in his absence. It’s not uncommon for a starting catcher to be dealing with bumps and bruises at this stage of the season as a result of playing one of the most physically demanding positions in professional sports. It doesn’t sound like a significant concern with Red Sox manager Alex Cora expressing optimism he’ll be ready for Friday’s matchup against the Padres.

Narváez will get a breather for the series finale. Connor Wong will be behind the plate and hit ninth against Luis Castillo and the Seattle bullpen.

Wong was Boston’s starting catcher before suffering a fractured finger when he was hit by a swing in April, but since returning, he’s taken a backseat to Carlos Estévez, something that doesn’t figure to change any time soon. A .280/333/.425 hitter last year, he’s 8-for-55 with no extra-base hits or RBI this season.

The Red Sox are trying to ease Connor Wong back into action as he returns from a broken finger, but the truth is that Narváez deserves to be the team’s starting catcher right now. He’s the better defender of the two, and he’s done a nice job offensively in hitting .245/.304/.426 with four homers and 13 RBI in 102 plate appearances.