Alex Cora Provides Discouraging Injury Update On Connor Wong

The Boston Red Sox are going to be without their starting catcher for some time.

Wong left early from Boston’s 6-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jayson Monday night at Fenway Park after a swing from George Springer in the top of the first inning hit Wong’s gloved hand. Wong stayed in the game for the remainder of the inning before departing.

The Red Sox initially announced that Wong was dealing with a left hand contusion, but Alex Cora’s update on the veteran catcher revealed the injury was worse.

“He has a small fracture in the pinky area,” Cora told reporters, per NESN. “He’s going on the IL. How long? We don’t know. Just late swing got him good. So, we’re going to have to make a move.”

Wong, who was “frustrated” by the situation in which he picked up his second catcher’s interference of the season, said he doesn’t have a timeline for his return and was initially optimistic that his injury wasn’t severe.

“It swelled up and was numb,” Wong said, per NESN. “Obviously I was able to catch the ball afterward so I was hopeful. But it was just kind of numb.”

The Red Sox will most likely call up Blake Sabol to replace Wong, who was hitting just .087 to start this season. Boston acquired Sabol in a mid-January trade with the San Francisco Giants. The 27-year-old backstop has 121 games of major league experience under his belt and batted .250 with four RBIs and five walks in six games with Triple-A Worcester this season.

Carlos Narváez in all likelihood will take over starting catching duties. He’s off to a solid start at the plate in his first season with the Red Sox, who obtained him in a trade with the Yankees this offseason. Narváez is batting .333 with four RBIs.

“He’ll be OK,” Cora said of Narváez. “We’ll see what decision we make and go from there. But he should be OK.”