Red Sox Cutting Ties With 28-Year-Old Catcher In Roster Shakeup: Report

DFA'd after one plate appearance is a tough one to stomach

Feb 18, 2019; Lee County, FL, USA; A general view of a Boston Red Sox helmet as Boston Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (19) walks on the field during a spring training workout at Jet Blue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox are refreshing their roster on Monday, and they've already decided one name on the way out the door.

It made sense for the Red Sox to claim Ali Sanchez off waivers for the Toronto Blue Jays -- when Carlos Narvaez's health status was up in the air. When Narvaez returned for the start of last week's series with the Houston Astros, Sanchez was a third-stringer at a position that almost never has room for more than two nowadays.

With the signing of first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and infielder Nate Eaton expected to be called up from Triple-A Worcester, the Red Sox needed to open two roster spots on Monday. According to a report, one of those roster spots will understandably be Sanchez's.

Ali Sanchez will be DFA'd on Monday

According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive, the Red Sox are designating Sanchez for assignment ahead of Monday's series opener with the Baltimore Orioles. The roster move has not yet been made official, and there still needs to be one more spot opened up for either Eaton or Lowe.

Sanchez's roster spot was a wasted one for the week he was officially on board. He recorded just one plate appearance, which came in the ninth inning of Tuesday's 14-1 blowout against Houston, with position player Chas McCormick on the mound. Then, he caught the bottom of the ninth as a mere formality.

Connor Wong has been poor at the plate for the Red Sox this year, but they've at least seen him produce in the past. Sanchez is a Quadruple-A player at best, having seen only 132 major league plate appearances since his debut in 2020.

In 47 games with the New York Mets, Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Red Sox, Sanchez has produced an OPS of .458 and -0.9 wins above replacement. The 28-year-old is out of minor league options.

The Red Sox will likely hope to pass Sanchez through waivers and outright him to Triple-A, where he would remain as a more attractive depth option than Boston currently has in the emergency even of an injured list stint for Wong or Narvaez.

Meanwhile, the question remains who the second player to go will be, though the overwhelming evidence points to first baseman Abraham Toro being designated for assignment in favor of the more proven Lowe.

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