Red Sox catcher Connor Wong left Monday’s game against the Blue Jays due to a bruised left hand sustained on a catcher’s interference call during an at-bat by Toronto outfielder George Springer. Wong was charged with an error on the play.
Wong was attended to by a trainer and manager, Alex Cora, on the field, delaying play for several minutes. He was initially cleared to return to action and finished the half inning but did not appear for the second inning.
Wong is the Red Sox’s primary catcher, but his defensive shortcomings have been a point of concern. Carlos Narváez replaced him behind the plate and may see increased playing time if Wong is sidelined.
Pitch framing and blocking have been issues for Wong throughout his Boston tenure, and he ranked near the bottom of the league in both categories last season. While he remains above average at throwing out baserunners, his defensive struggles led the Red Sox to acquire a stronger defensive option in Carlos Narváez.
Boston parted ways with top catching prospect Kyle Teel to acquire left-hander Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox. While the blockbuster deal provided Boston with a much-needed No. 1 starter, it also raised significant questions about the catcher position for 2025 and beyond.
Blake Sabol, acquired from the San Francisco Giants this winter, is the only other catcher on Boston’s 40-man roster and is currently in Triple-A Worcester.
Wong is the only player remaining in Boston who was acquired in the Mookie Betts trade.
Wong has appeared in eight games this season, recording a batting average of .087 with two hits in 23 at-bats.
The Dodgers traded Wong, Alex Verdugo, and Jeter Downs for bets in 2020. Verdugo is currently playing for the Gwinnett Stripers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and Downs is with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Red Sox Lose Catcher to Potentially Serious Injury