Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox Two-Time All-Star Granted Release, May Retire After 13-Year MLB Career

It looks like this is the end for the veteran backstop
Jackson Roberts|
May 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A bag of baseballs sits on the diamond before a game against between the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
May 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A bag of baseballs sits on the diamond before a game against between the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

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A former two-time Major League Baseball All-Star is calling it a career after a very brief stint with the Boston Red Sox. So brief, in fact, that he never appeared for the major league club.

The Red Sox signed catcher Yasmani Grandal, a 13-year MLB veteran, shortly after Connor Wong got injured in early April. He accepted a minor league deal and wound up putting up solid numbers in 23 games for the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, including a .770 OPS.

However, it appeared that the Red Sox weren't going to promote Grandal to the big-league roster anytime soon, with Carlos Narváez locking down the starting job after his strong start to the season and Wong, the 2024 starter, remaining on board as the backup.

That's why on Tuesday, per WooSox manager Chad Tracy, Grandal was granted his release from the organization. It appears the 36-year-old is strongly mulling the possibility of retirement, but nothing is yet official in that regard.

“It was his choice,” Tracy said, per Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. “We talked yesterday… and his response was ‘It’s time to be dad.’”

Grandal and his wife Heather have three children, a daughter and two sons.

Grandal wound up slashing .256/.372/.397 for Worcester, with two home runs and 16 RBI. Last season, he played 72 games in the big leauges for the Pittsburgh Pirates, with nine home runs to go with a .704 OPS.

Grandal's best days came from 2015 to 2021, when he made his two All-Star games, racked up 148 home runs, and compiled an impressive .818 OPS for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago White Sox.

If this is indeed the end for Grandal, he'll finish his career with 194 major league home runs.

The Red Sox also designated catcher Blake Sabol for assignment earlier this week, so their catching depth chart has rather quickly shrunk at the Triple-A level. They still have Seby Zavala and Nathan Hickey as options down in Worcester.

More MLB: Red Sox Could Cut Ties With 10-Year Veteran If Losing Continues, Per Insider

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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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