Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox Sign 2-Time All-Star Catcher To Minor-League Contract: Report

A move always made sense after the Connor Wong injury...
Jackson Roberts|
Sep 19, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal (6) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a game tying solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Sep 19, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal (6) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a game tying solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

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Boston Red Sox

It's not often you can sign a two-time All-Star to a minor-league contract, but the Boston Red Sox just did exactly that.

With starting catcher Connor Wong headed to the injured list after suffering a fractured pinky, the Red Sox were in a bind. New starter Carlos Narváez still has less than 20 career games under his belt, and backup Blake Sabol, just recalled from Triple-A, is not a strong defender.

It made sense as soon as Wong went down that the Red Sox might be on the hunt for some added catching depth, and on Thursday, while the team was on the field hoping to avoid a sweep against the Toronto Blue Jays, the front office was checking that box.

According to multiple reports, including FanSided's Robert Murray, the Red Sox have signed 13-year veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal to a minor-league contract. The 36-year-old played in 72 games last season for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Though he certainly won't be expected to regain his All-Star form, Grandal can still be a useful depth piece. He's a switch-hitter who posted a 95 OPS+ last season, slashing .228/.304/.400 with nine home runs over 243 plate appearances.

Grandal has played for five teams in his career: the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox, and Pirates. He made his two All-Star teams in 2015 with the Dodgers and in 2019 with the Brewers.

Grandal also sits at 194 career home runs, so if he sticks in Boston for a while, he could celebrate an exciting career achievement. Only 16 catchers in Major League Baseball history have ever hit 200-plus long balls.

While Grandal has been working out while looking for a contract, he'll need some time to readjust to games before the Red Sox can consider putting him on the active roster.

It's early in the season, so they don't need to press the panic button if the catchers struggle, but one has to imagine that soon enough, Grandal will get his shot to prove he still has some of his old magic.

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Jackson Roberts
JACKSON ROBERTS

Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Boston Red Sox On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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