Might we have a catcher controversy on our hands?
With usual backup Kevin Plawecki recovering from a hamstring strain, the Red Sox called up Connor Wong from Triple-A Worcester.
The 25-year-old appeared in his third big league game with Boston on Thursday, and appears to have quite a strong connection with starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi.
Wong now has caught Eovaldi twice, first against the New York Yankees on Saturday prior to the most recent win over the Kansas City Royals.
In those outings, Eovaldi struck out 12 batters in 14.2 innings — giving up just one earned run with no walks.
“Connor behind the plate, he did an amazing job again. No panic, just staying the course,” Alex Cora said following a beatdown over the Royals.
“You feel good about him. He’s a rookie, only has caught, you know, two games at the big league level. One against the Yankees and today to finish a sweep. … This is a guy that we really like. We love the way he’s going about his business.”
The guy who has been throwing the ball to Wong most in games seems to agree.
“I felt like Wong did a great job calling the game tonight,” Eovaldi said after his win. “We had a game plan, we were able to stick to it and kind of keep going from there.”
It’s to be determined what happens with Wong when Plawecki finishes his stint in the injured list. One way or the other, the future behind the plate looks bright in Boston.
