Carlos Narváez took over behind the plate
The Boston Red Sox made an abrupt lineup change while opening up a four-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park on Monday night.
Red Sox catcher Connor Wong suffered a left-hand contusion, per Mac Cerullo of The Boston Herald, after Blue Jays outfielder George Springer’s swing caught the 28-year-old’s gloved hand in the top of the first inning. Wong was charged with catcher’s interference — for the second time this season — and while the five-year veteran attempted to fight through the pain, the noticeable hand swelling was more than enough reason to pull Wong from the contest.
Fellow Boston catcher Carlos Narváez replaced Wong in the top of the second. Narváez, a first-year member of the team, has caught early fire in the batter’s box. He entered Monday night’s game hitting .429 across 18 plate appearances with three doubles and four RBIs. The Red Sox acquired Narváez in the offseason from the New York Yankees in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz.
Wong, meanwhile, has struggled both at the plate and behind the plate.
Slated as the Red Sox’s starting catcher this season, Wong underwent an 0-for-16 slump following Boston’s Opening Day win over the Texas Rangers. Wong has hit .087 with two base hits — both singles — to show for his first 23 at-bats of the season. If Boston ends up placing Wong on the injured list, it could open the door for Blake Sabol, the current catcher for the organization’s Triple-A affiliate in Worcester and the only other catcher besides Wong and Narváez currently on the 40-man roster.
Red Sox infielder Romy González is Boston manager Alex Cora’s backup option to Narváez for the remainder of Monday night’s game.
