It’s been a whirlwind couple of days for new Boston Red Sox catcher Reese McGuire.
The 27-year-old was forced to change his Sox this week, being shipped to the Red Sox from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for reliever Jake Diekman. Following his first game behind the plate with Boston on Wednesday — a 6-1 loss to the Houston Astros — he talked about how he’s been able to adjust.
“I mean, everyone’s done a great job around here, players and staff so far to just give me as much information as they can,” McGuire told NESN’s Tom Caron, as seen on the network’s postgame coverage. “I’m just trying to soak it all up and now look forward to the Kansas City (Royals) series and keep learning and learning as we go there. But, you know as a backstop, you’ve got to learn as fast as you can and make those adjustments with each guy.”
McGuire was the Red Sox’s best hitter on Wednesday, finishing 2-for-3 from the plate with a pair of singles. He was the only Boston batter to collect multiple hits. Though the pitching staff struggled early on, they eventually settled in and he caught three consecutive innings of scoreless work.
When asked about his relationship with game plan coordinator Jason Varitek, McGuire heaped praise on the former Red Sox captain.
“He’s been nothing but great to me,” McGuire said. “He’s taught me a lot already in the first day, and I look forward to working with him more. He’s really taken me under his arm so far and just given me everything.”
Moving forward McGuire will split time with Kevin Plawecki at catcher, likely experiencing more playing time than he has before. The career back-up has never played more than 78 games in a season. If he continues his current pace, he’ll clear that number for the very first time.
