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Red Sox claim catcher off waivers amid Carlos Narvaez’s knee injury
Carlos Narvaez has missed two straight games as he deals with a sore right knee.
A new catcher has entered the fold for the Red Sox, at least for the time being, as Carlos Narvaez manages knee soreness.
Boston claimed backstop Ali Sanchez off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, the team said in an announcement. The 28-year-old has spent the majority of his season with the Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons (54 games), but has appeared in eight games with the major league club.
Sanchez is batting .279 with a .766 OPS and six home runs at Triple-A. He logged five hits with two doubles with Toronto.
Since debuting with the New York Mets in 2020, Sanchez has played 46 games at the MLB level. He spent all of the 2022 and 2023 seasons in the minor leagues.
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Sanchez joins the Red Sox’ 40-man roster ahead of their three-game series with the San Diego Padres out west. The player is out of options — meaning if he were to join the active 26-man roster, Boston would be unable to send him down to Triple-A Worcester and Sanchez would have to enter the waiver system again.
The Red Sox plan to add him to the active roster, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. However, manager Alex Cora told reporters before the game that he expects Narvaez to play on Sunday (via MLB.com’s Ian Browne).
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Narvaez was in visible pain after running to first base on a ground ball versus the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. He remained in the game, but sat out of Wednesday’s game with right knee soreness. Narvaez enjoyed Thursday off with the rest of the team, but he was also out of the lineup on Friday.
Narvaez said he underwent testing on his knee on Wednesday, which determined he was simply experiencing soreness.
Before Friday’s game, Narvaez told reporters he feels “way better” after going through baseball activities (via MassLive’s Christopher Smith). He also noted the “next two days are going to be key” in determining whether or not he will land on the injured list.
However, manager Alex Cora told reporters before the game that he expects Narvaez to play on Sunday (via MLB.com’s Ian Browne).
It remains to be seen what the team will do with Sanchez. Fellow catcher Connor Wong does have minor league options; the Red Sox could add Sanchez to the active roster and send Wong to Triple-A if Narvaez indeed misses the IL. Or, if Narvaez ends up needing a stint on the injured list, Sanchez could take his place in his absence.
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Time will tell how Narvaez’s knee responds on Saturday and if he is able to return to the lineup for the third game of the series in San Diego.
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