While the Boston Red Sox didn’t punch their ticket to October playoff contention this season, former catcher Christian Vázquez, now a member of the Houston Astros, will play in his second consecutive American League Championship Series.
Vázquez, who previously spent the entirety of his big league career with the Red Sox, was traded to the Astros in exchange for minor league prospects Enmanuel Valdez and Wilyer Abreu ahead of the Major League Baseball trade deadline on Aug. 1.
However, the 32-year-old veteran hasn’t ruled out the possibility of returning to Boston.
“I don’t know, man,” Vázquez said, according to The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham. “I hope so. I’d love it. It was my house for a long time. We’ll see how it goes.”
Vázquez served as the primary go-to catcher for Red Sox manager Alex Cora. Yet, now with the Astros, Vázquez has taken a back seat while filling in more of a platoon role alongside Martín Maldonado. So far, in three postseason contests with Houston, Vázquez has played in two games while going 1-for-7 at the plate with three strikeouts.
Following the end of the Astros’ season, Vázquez is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2023. While Vázquez intends to serve as a full-time catcher with his next team, his current sights are set on earning his second career World Series ring.
“That’s for later,” Vázquez said. “Right now, I want another ring.”
Vázquez and the Astros are four wins away from reaching the Fall Classic, currently awaiting the winner of the New York Yankees-Cleveland Guardians best-of-five American League Division Series.
