Over the course of the last several years, the Boston Red Sox have gone through their fair share of catchers, as the position has not been the primary focus of the front office. The most consistent the position has been was from 2016-2022, when the duo of Christian Vasquez and Sandy Leon split the majority of the playing time behind the plate. But, over the last four years since they traded away Vasquez to the Houston Astros, the Red Sox has gone through five different catchers, including Connor Wong, Danny Jansen, and most recently in 2025, Carlos Narvaez.

Boston Red Sox Catchers At A Glance

Starter: Carlos Narvaez
Backup: Connor Wong
Depth: Nate Baez, Jason Delay, Nathan Hickey, Ronald Rosario, Matt Thaiss
Prospects: Johanfran Garcia

Red Sox fWAR Ranking Last Year: 25th out of 30
Red Sox fWAR projection this year: 24th out of 30

The Good

Wong has been with the Red Sox since 2020, but his inconsistency at the plate has limited him to just a handful of major league starts. Last season, after the team lost Jansen to free agency, they picked up rookie Carlos Narvaez. Wong opened the season as the starter, but after suffering a left fifth finger fracture in April, he lost that starting role to Narvaez.

Narvaez turned that newfound role into a true breakout; in 2025, he hit .241/.306/.419, with a .726 OPS. He also hit 27 doubles last season, clubbed 15 home runs, drove in 50 RBIs and 51 runs scored. 

On the defensive side, the rookie had a .991 fielding percentage, with 932 putouts on 999 chances. He threw out 32 runners on the year and after a strong season finished sixth in the rookie of the year voting. He’s well-rounded both behind and at the plate, and another leap forward as a batter would put him among the league’s better catchers.

The Bad

Wong, on the other hand, couldn’t continue his momentum from 2024 into 2025. The veteran catcher appeared in just 63 games for the Red Sox compared to Narvaez’s 118, and even that split doesn’t do his poor outlook justice. Coming off his fractured finger, Wong struggled to find his stride. After batting .280 in 2024, he hit just .190/.262/.238, barely touching a .500 OPS. He hit just eight doubles, no home runs (compared to 13 in 2024), drove in just seven RBIs and had 16 runs scored.

While Wong and Narvaez are listed as the primary catchers coming into the 2026 season, Narvaez did suffer with some minor injuries that were caused by fatigue from the season last year. With Wong struggling at the plate (the best part of his game), it was evident that the Red Sox needed to put emphasis on catching depth during the offseason. And for Wong, unless he begins hitting, his job could be at risk, as he has a -36 wRC+ this spring. That’s 136% worse than league average, which doesn’t even seem possible.

The Bottom Line

It is a near-guarantee that Narvaez will be the Red Sox’s Opening Day starter in a couple weeks and will serve as the primary catcher in 2026. While Wong is listed as his backup, the Red Sox acquired prospect Nate Baez from the Minnesota Twins, Jason Delay from the Atlanta Braves, and veteran Matt Thaiss after he elected free agency in 2025 following one season with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Thaiss has already been reassigned to Triple-A Worcester after receiving an invite to major-league camp, along with Delay.
Among those battling it out in major-league camp for a spot on the 26-man roster, Nathan Hickey, who appeared in 19 games for the Red Sox in 2025, is the last man standing.

Hickey is making a name for himself compared to Wong this offseason. The 2021 fifth-round draft pick is batting .160/.276/.400, good for a meager 67 wRC+ that blows Wong’s contributions out of the water. He has hit two home runs, driven in five RBIs, walked three times, and scored four runs. Though that might not seem like much, it may actually be enough given what’s going on with the current projected backup.

Thanks to the presence of Narvaez, the Red Sox appeared set at backstop heading into the season. Should an injury befall him, though, there’s no telling what the team will do in response.