SAN DIEGO — The Boston Red Sox claimed catcher Alí Sanchez off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.
He is in San Diego and will be added to Boston’s 26-man roster.
A source said the Red Sox are “still working through” roster moves. So it’s unclear whether Carlos Narváez (knee) is headed to the IL or the Red Sox will option Connor Wong to Triple-A Worcester.
If Narváez is day-to-day, Boston also could temporarily keep three catchers on the 26-man roster and option either reliever Isaiah Campbell or utility man David Hamilton to Worcester.
Another source also told MassLive it is not yet a certainty that Narváez goes on the IL with the knee issue that plagued him earlier this week.
Narváez underwent testing Wednesday, and the hope was that it was something minor. He was out Wednesday after he came up lame while running down the line early in Tuesday’s win.
Wong has minor league options remaining and Sanchez does not.
Sanchez, a 28-year-old native of Venezuela, batted .238 (5-for-21) with a .238 on-base percentage and .333 slugging percentage in eight games for the Blue Jays. He had two doubles and two runs scored but no RBIs while striking out five times.
He posted a .279/.347/.419/.766 line with six homers and seven doubles in 54 games (199 plate appearances) for Triple-A Buffalo this year.
He has played 46 major league games for the Mets, Cardinals, Marlins and Blue Jays over parts of four seasons (2020-21, 2024-25). He has caught 10-of-42 base stealers in his career. He’s had good pop times and he’s an above-average blocker.
Narváez has been one of the top defensive catchers in MLB. He’s in the 98th percentile in caught stealing above average (8), 93rd percentile in framing (6), 89th percentile in blocks above average (6) and 85th percentile in pop time (1.91). His offensive stats have dropped some in recent weeks. He has a .248/.319/.409/.728 line in 85 games (333 plate appearances). It would be a significant blow if he was to land on the IL.
Wong was Boston’s No. 1 catcher the past two seasons. But he has struggled this year in limited time. He’s 17-for-106 (.160) with two extra-base hits and two RBIs in 41 games.
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