Minor League Baseball

Boston Red Sox, Veteran Catcher Yasmani Grandal Reportedly Agree to Minor League Deal

Yasmani Grandal, who has proven himself to be a productive big league catcher with the Pirates, White Sox, Brewers, Dodgers and Padres, is set to join the Red Sox organization.
Sam Connon|
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal (6) reacts after hitting a walk-off, two-run home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the ninth inning at PNC Park.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal (6) reacts after hitting a walk-off, two-run home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the ninth inning at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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Boston Red SoxPittsburgh PiratesChicago White Sox

The Boston Red Sox have agreed to a minor league contract with catcher Yasmani Grandal, FanSided's Robert Murray reported on Thursday.

Grandal, 36, has seen action in 13 MLB seasons dating back to 2012.

The Red Sox lost starting catcher Connor Wong to a fractured left finger earlier this week, sending him to the 10-day injured list. Blake Sabol was called up from Triple-A Worcester to take Wong's place on the active roster and split time behind the plate with Carlos Narváez.

After trading top prospect Kyle Teel to the Chicago White Sox as part of the Garrett Crochet deal in December, Boston left itself without a high-level catcher in the upper levels of its farm system.

So while Grandal may be on a minor league deal for now, it may not take much for the Red Sox to promote him to the big leagues.

Grandal is a two-time All-Star, earning spots in the Midsummer Classic in 2015 and 2019. He spent three seasons with the San Diego Padres, four with the Los Angeles Dodgers, one with the Milwaukee Brewers, four with the Chicago White Sox and one with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Across 72 games with the Pirates in 2024, Grandal hit .228 with nine home runs, 10 doubles, 27 RBIs, a .704 OPS and 0.6 WAR. From July 5 on, though, Grandal hit .296 with a .982 OPS.

Grandal's most productive campaign this decade came with the White Sox in 2021, when he hit .240 with 23 home runs, 62 RBIs, a .939 OPS and a 3.7 WAR in 93 games.

For his career, Grandal is a .236 hitter with a .769 OPS, averaging 24 home runs, 73 RBIs and a 2.5 WAR per 162 games. From 2014 to 2021, Grandal ranked second among MLB catcher with 163 home runs, trailing only Salvador Perez.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for “UCLA on SI’’ and won awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for “New England Patriots on SI’’ and was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamConnon.

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