Connor Wong started a Triple-A rehab assignment today, as the catcher appears to be nearing a return from the left pinkie finger fracture that sent him to the 10-day injured list back on April 8. Speaking with MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith (multiple links) and other reporters today, Red Sox manager Alex Cora indicated the team will “play it day by day and we don’t have to rush” Wong, as the backstop will need more than one rehab appearance anyway.
Wong seemingly solidified his place as Boston’s first-choice catcher by hitting .280/.333/.425 with 13 home runs over 487 plate appearances last season. He was ice-cold at the plate over his first 26 PA of 2025, so this early injury could serve as something of a fresh start for Wong’s season.
Carlos Narvaez has taken the bulk of the catching duties in Wong’s absence, and he has been impressive enough defensively that Cora said Narvaez will continue to get a good share of playing time even when Wong is back on the field. “I’m not saying we split up the week but [Narvaez] will play a lot,” Cora said.
Known as a defensive specialist even during his time in the minors, Narvaez has lived up to that rep over his brief MLB career. He has hit only .205/.279/.333 in 86 PA (15 with the Yankees in 2024, 71 with the Red Sox this year), but Narvaez has been outstanding in all facets of catcher-related glovework except for his ability to throw out baserunners. With the Sox committing to Narvaez and Blake Sabol also on the roster as the current backup, Yasmani Grandal could trigger the May 1 opt-out clause in his minor league contract given the rather crowded path to big-league playing time once Wong is back.
Cora provided updates on some other injured Sox players, including something of a non-update on Masataka Yoshida. The outfielder/DH began the season on the 10-day IL as he continued his recovery from October shoulder surgery, but though we’re now a month into the 2025 campaign, it doesn’t appear Yoshida is expected back any time in the near future. Yoshida is still “just taking at-bats down there [at Boston’s Spring Training complex] and his throwing program,” Cora said.
Yoshida was healthy enough to hit during Spring Training but hasn’t been able to play the field, as he continues to build up his arm strength. Given the amount of time Yoshida has already missed, it stands to reason that a shift to the 60-day IL might come sooner rather than later. Such a roster move would sideline Yoshida until late May at the earliest, though that might not be an issue given Yoshida’s unsettled timeline.
Kutter Crawford has also yet to play in 2025, but the right-hander continues to make progress in his recovery from right patellar soreness. Cora said that Crawford is set to throw a bullpen session at Boston’s extended spring camp, and Crawford will then advance to throwing a live batting-practice session later this week. While Crawford looks to be on track, he might also be a candidate for a 60-day IL move if the Red Sox need the roster space, as the righty will still need to make multiple rehab starts to make up for all of the time he missed during the spring.
Star prospect Roman Anthony had an injury scare on Friday when the outfielder left a Triple-A game early after fouling a ball off his left foot. X-rays were negative on Anthony’s foot, as Red Sox senior director of player development Brian Abraham said during an appearance on the Baseball Isn’t Boring radio show (hat tip to Rob Bradford), so it appears as though a worst-case scenario has been avoided.
Anthony is day-to-day for now, though all eyes will continue to monitor his status both in the short term and in regards to how any sort of injury might impact his inevitable MLB debut. Between last season and this season, Anthony has a scorching .332/.459/.545 slash line over 266 Triple-A plate appearances, making it only a matter of time before arguably the sport’s best prospect arrives in Boston. Where exactly Anthony would fit into a crowded Red Sox outfield has been a hot topic, though needless to say, Anthony might simply force the issue if his initial big-league production is anything close to his Triple-A work.
Yoshida could play in pre-season but can’t now? This smells more than a bit fishy. Sox don’t know what to do with him and he’s virtually untradable, so they call him “injured”.
Not really all that fishy at all. In ST there were plenty of ABs for him to get PT at DH. Now during the season Devers is the full time DH so there’s no PT there for Yoshida, meaning his shoulder has to be healthy enough for him to play in the OF. It currently isn’t so until it is he can’t really play. Once a player goes on an official rehab outing there’s a time limit to that. Unless the team is confident he’s going to be healthy at the end of that limit they won’t risk starting that clock.
There is simply no longer any place for Yoshida on the roster, especially after Roman Anthony gets called up. It’s turned into an albatross of a contract, and the Sox are going to have to eat a huge part of it if they stand any chance of unloading him on another club this season.
HBan – I totally agree, the Red Sox mishandled the Yoshida situation just as horribly as the Devers situation. Without Yoshida being called up, he cannot rebuild his value for a trade.
If Devers was playing first base instead of Romy, Yoshida could have been DH’ing some.
As for the alleged inability to throw, certainly seems strange he was throwing from 100 feet back in mid-March and now no reports of any progress? I hope the Sox don’t get investigated for IL manipulation.
Honestly, they should have done that a long time ago.
The yoshida situtation is not ideal..but is it any worse than previous bad contracts? Pablo sandoval, hanley ramirez, carl crawford , jason bay..rusney castillo..i could go on. The point is the red sox have a long history through many years of this sort of thing and it always works out why is everyone so bothered by this one when we have all seen this show before? At least for yoshidas part he puts up fair numbers when hes out there unlike many of the others ive mentioned…this really isnt a big deal imo
Pool – Jason Bay? The Red Sox never signed him to a free agent contract or an extension, and he was awesome for the Red Sox …. .915 OPS and 7.2 WAR in his 200 regular season games with the Sox, and a 1.003 OPS in his 14 postseason games with them. It was the Mets that gave him a very regretful contract.
As for me personally, it’s just very frustrating that Yoshida won’t be given the chance to show what he can do over the course of a healthy season. The other guys you mentioned were basically done when they left and never earned much of their contract, but Yoshida could potentially win a batting title in 2026 or 2027 if things break just right. Like Mark said in the chat, Rafaela should be traded but the contract is preventing that. And they won’t send him down before his upcoming bobblehead doll day. The Sox front office probably sees Anthony’s latest injury as a blessing in disguise.
Fpg ..bay was an obvious mistake no need for you to copy and paste his basball ref.lol..i grt it …the rest of what i stated stands regardless of what any of the other players did or didnt do thier contracts are considerd poor just like yoshidas is..and its no big deal..this has happened before..thats my point
Pool – No worries, I was simply pointing out the difference between Yoshida and the others :O)
Fpg, Yoshi never progressed beyond throwing soft toss from 60 ft every 3rd day in Spring Training. Even now he he is only throwing from 90 ft, albeit doing so daily. That is a long way from making 200+ ft throws from LF.
Baseball – Here is the direct quote from Cora in which he said Yoshida was already throwing from 100 feet:
mlb.com/news/masataka-yoshida-defense-reps-rehab-a…
Please provide the quote you saw indicating he somehow has regressed to now 90 feet.
I; ‘m not “so bothered” about Yoshida at all. Just stating if they don’t have a space for him, and they don’t, they should eat some salary and move on.
Ghost – At this point they probably don’t have a choice because they botched the situation so badly.
It’s gonna come to a head eventually, unless there are injuries or a trade of another player.
Cora’s reluctance to play Abreu against LHP leads me to believe he could be traded.
Poolhalljunkies
but is it any worse than previous bad contracts? Pablo sandoval, hanley ramirez, carl crawford , jason bay..
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Jason Bay was absolutely great for us.
@FPG – although everything Cora says needs to be taken with a grain of salt (i don’t think he lies so much as he’s good at omitting truths), that link you posted was a few days before Yoshida injured his back, which required him to be brought back to Boston for treatment.
Whether the back injury was a major setback, the shoulder isn’t progressing as hoped or the Red Sox are slow-playing his return, we don’t really know for sure. But given Hamilton’s early struggles (assuming he would be sent down if Yoshida was healthy) I can’t imagine there’s any great conspiracy going on, but hard to tell with Cora keeping us in the dark (as usual).
WC – If Yoshida was healthy, he’d need to take a spot from an OF and not Hamilton.
There’s no reason why Yoshida should see the field over: Duran, Rafaela, Abreu, Refsnyder or Anthony.
With Devers cemented in the DH role, the roster becomes very rigid. There’s just no room for Yoshida.
Joe…thanks for piling on man fpg already did his best to make me look dumb by posting bays baseball card…lol bays inclusion was an obvious mistake..but my points are totally valid all the people ready to jump off a cliff thinking this yoshida contract is some “albatross” or major issue for the red sox havnt been payimg attention and seen them chug along just fine through many deals far worse
WC – That’s a great point, it is possible the back injury set him back. Like you said, who knows.
When Cora talked about wanting Yoshida to get lots of time in LF this season, many were quite surprised.
Perhaps he had planned all along to keep Yoshida tucked away in the minors, and calling him an OF’er instead of a DH is the only way that was possible.
Pool – I hope you are 100% joking about my post, as you should know that wasn’t my intention.
I’m very detail oriented and thorough, I support what I write with much stats and facts, which is why my posts tend to be long. I’ve always been that way with everyone, not just you.
How would I know what you know or don’t know? LOL
I really don’t understand why are trying to compare, those other contracts were given long ago when the team was consistently among the biggest spenders in MLB. Obviously they haven’t been like that for a while, about 6 years.
I have FPG on mute, so I didn’t see what he posted.
The rest I agree with. Every big market team has contracts that they don’t like. You don’t outbid 29 other teams, and then think you have a bargain.
R. Gonzalez was playing 1B because he is right-handed vs. two lefty starters.
C. Rafaela is a gold glove CF and will be an above-average hitter. He’s signed through 2032 and not going anywhere.
Tough problems, huh?
We’re seeing great production from Bregman, Abreu, Campbell, and Refsnyder. Romy Gonzalez is holding his own in a platoon role off the bench. Devers and Duran are heating up. Even Casas may be finally breaking out of his slump. Rafaela is playing GG defense, and isn’t awful offensively. Narvaez has been a steadying influence behind the plate. Story is playing well on both sides, aside from a few too many errors.
I guess Yoshida could take the roster spot of Hamilton, but he wouldn’t have a role on this team aside from occasional pinch-hitting. Everybody else is getting it done.
So he hangs out rehabbing for a while. Not sure how any of the above changes? If there were a roster spot with playing time available, Anthony would be the better choice for a promotion. Or Mayer on the infield.
@FPG, I was saying in the off-season that they should trade or release Yoshida. They don’t have a role for him and he cannot rebuild value if he isn’t playing.
@Joemo If Yoshida is in LF against RHPs then that shifts Duran to CF which means either Rafaela shifts to RF with Abreu being sent down (seems unlikely) or Rafaela becomes a backup infielder on most days, which would allow them to send down Hamilton without losing their two backup infielders. Rafaela was pretty good defensively at SS in July & August and Romy can play the middle infield as well.
Only other options are to cut Refsnyder (which doesn’t make sense as he’s used vs LHPs) or Romy (who seems to be ahead of Hamilton for playing time). But I’m guessing the Red Sox will try to stall until someone gets hurt.
@Newms22 The funny thing about sitting Casas against LHPs is that he has never had bad splits vs lefties and this year he’s 5/8 with a BB two 2b and a HR. So he needs to get out of his funk, and is hitting well against LHPs, but Cora has chosen to platoon him anyway… Not a fan.
WCSox – I agree, it doesn’t really make sense. As I posted earlier, Casas has actually been hitting really well since April 22nd so why bench him for the last two games? And I didn’t even realize how well he’s hit LHP this year until you just mentioned it.
Fortunately the Sox played Cleveland at the perfect time, right when they are slumping (Twins just pounded them 11-1 in Cleveland tonight) but if Casas continues to get benched the Sox will likely get burned by it.
I don’t think Yoshida is yet up to making the throws from the OF… Which limits him to DH for now. Maybe he should start practicing at 1B?
The platoon likely has as much to do with Romy’s splits as it does with Casas. However Casas is the better player, and I expect he will start taking 100% of the games once his bat gets going.
Wait – I agree on the throwing, but I think the throwing program the Sox have him on is intentionally being dragged out.
I don’t see a 5’7″ guy playing first base, gotta have a long wingspan and long stretch …. he has neither.
Wait – I don’t believe Casas has platooned before. Having him do so is basically giving up on him as a fulltime player and devaluing him. He can’t improve against lefties if he doesn’t have a chance to hit against them (not that he needs to improve).
Romy playing first base in the last two games is either a product of Cora’s fixation on matchups, or he’s being evaluated/showcased for a possible trade.
but Cora has chosen to platoon him anyway…
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I certainly wouldn’t platoon Casas, but he also needed some time to clear his head.
And perhaps Cora was sending him a message that maybe you aren’t as good as you think you are.
No. Cora didn’t say he was throwing from 100 ft. The writer Ian Browne did. Big difference. It does explain why you are wrong so often.
Baseball – No offense but for you to believe that any reporter who direct quotes someone is actually the reporter speaking and they are just making it up, that’s the dumbest thing I’ve read in these comments in a long, long time.
With the billions and billions of direct quotes that get reported here, seems like this place is not for you. Have you tried some non-verbal websites that have the plethora of numbers you are seeking?
When MLB managers start writing everything they have to say instead of speaking to media, perhaps then you will want to hang with the normies again :o)
Now I’m gonna move on from you because I won’t allow anyone to troll me. Best of luck to you!
let – I’d be really interested in hearing what Yoshida has to say, but he’s very polite and mild-mannered so that’s probably why he’s keeping quiet.
At the very least, the Sox are dragging out the injury as long as possible. They want to keep him available as “insurance” in case a player bombs or gets injured, which is understandable from a management perspective but obviously is not fair to Yoshida.
Is there any chance this could snowball into a Rusney Castillo 2.0 situation?
Mlb – Proving a player is injured and physically unable to play their position is a lot harder than proving a player belongs in the minors. So eventually Yoshida’s agent will say “Play him, trade him, or release him”.
And unlike with Rusney, keeping Yoshida in the minors doesn’t help provide any CBT relief.
Fpg, if Yoshi cleared waivers, and because he is owed so much money he most definitely would, the Red Sox could outright him to the minors. Nothing his agent says would impact that.
Baseball – It’s in his contract, he cannot be sent to the minors without his permission.
heavy.com/sports/mlb/boston-red-sox/red-sox-yoshid…
Fpg, thanks for pointing out that you don’t know how this works. Yoshi can choose to be a free agent if the Red Sox option him to the minors but then he forfeits his remaining salary. His choice is to not get paid or go to the minors.
Yoshi could hit only in Spring Training. When they broke camp he was throwing soft toss every third day from 60 ft. Word is he has progressed to throwing soft toss from 90 ft on a daily basis. He can’t play left field only being able to throw 90 ft.
Baseball – Please provide a source. I know Cora is a pathological liar, but there’s no reason for him to have lied a month ago.
Chris Cotillo on MassLive and Twitter. You should really read him if you are a Sox fan.
The source you quoted was not Cora, it was Ian Browne.
Red Sox will soon make the WONG move.
They could go out and get Kolten Wong for infield depth, but that’s probably not a great idea. you know the old saying…
Two Wongs don’t make it right.
Canuck – They don’t even make a Frank White! Hahaha!!!
The Wong brothers could never get a plane off the ground.
hayzee – They won today and the series!! Perhaps the best wins of the season!!!
I just might increase my World Series wager on them.
Sabol is of no use, so I was very surprised Boston didn’t call up Grandahl before the Cleveland series. If they don’t call him up for the Toronto series, I have to believe he’ll opt out, since he’s a legit option in a league with few catchers who can hit..
bob – I think the Sox wanted to give Blake one last tryout stretch prior to May 1st, no sense in dumping him any sooner than they need to.
Sabol is more like an outfielder who can catch, but poorly. . He didn’t catch at all his first few years in the minors.
Ghost – You know what’s interesting, when he was an outfielder his arm was rated very poorly at -1.7 ….. and yet they still converted him to catcher??? No wonder teams are running wild on him.
They would have been better off bringing Seby Zavala up to fill in for Wong. He can’t hit at all, but he is at least an actual catcher.
Lineup starting to heat up a bit. Rotation pieces coming back into the fold. Little by Grady little the team is showing signs of Morgan magic. Houck about that, kind of like Valentine’s Day, falling in love with this Pesky team while munching on a Tito’s burrito.
In case anyone didn’t know, “whyhayzee” is Gene Shalit’s account name…
hayzee – Red Sox Nation always knew guys like Duran, Campbell, Story and Abreu would hit. Devers was and still is a question mark because of the transition, but this weekend was definitely encouraging!
There were 4 errors in today’s game, and none of them were committed by the Red Sox …. how about that!
Certainly hitting well tonight! That Devers swing was one of beauty
Mayer and Anthony are both pushing for promotions this season. Yoshida gets healthy, thats three players who will be looking for everyday playing time.
Who is going to lose starts when all three are in the lineup? Going to bench Casas and play Bregman at First, Story at second, Mayer at short and return Devers to third? An outfield of Duran, Abreu and Anthony, Yoshida to DH, with Rafaella as your utility guy off the bench?
Casas and Rafaella to the bench would be interesting.
Or Trade Devers and Rafaella to the Yankees for Bellinger and a few prospects. Yankees pitching has been good enough, they would love Devers at third base.
Red Sox would have to eat 27.5M of Bellinger’s deal but could extend Bregman long term having moved Devers long term payables.
There is a less than zero chance that Red Sox would trade Devers and Rafaella to the yankees,
And why would the Red Sox gift Devers to the Yankees for Bellinger?
Because they are paying a 30M DH for nine seasons and they would prefer to have that money spent on Bregman.
The Yankees make sense because they would happily move off one season of Bellinger at 27.5M and they are probably one of the only teams that can take on Devers at 30M per for nine seasons. Bellinger is the price to pay for the payroll flexibility you’ll receive unloading the Devers contract.
But you have four young starting OF in Duran, Abreu, Rafaella and Anthony – all four need to be in the lineup or they will regress, platoon situations are not acceptable to players who have ambitions to be great, they are all young and in that mindset. If you sit one of them, they will stagnate, its not a good situation.
The Red Sox have to trade an OF. They’d like to trade Casas but his stock has dropped off and even if they do, it doesnt really solve the Bregman / Devers dilemma.
Trading Devers to the Yankees makes a lot of sense, they need a bat to replace Stanton, they’d love to shed Bellinger and add an OF, they have some good prospects. I dont know if the Red Sox and the Yankees would get together on a trade like that being division rivals but its a good trade for Boston if they can get a prospect or two.
Trading Devers to yankees makes no sense full stop.
bwmiller79
Because they are paying a 30M DH for nine seasons and they would prefer to have that money spent on Bregman.
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1-They already have Bregman under contract.
2-Aren’t you one of the ones that said Bregman was ridiculously overpaid?
I dont recall that, I said it would be difficult to move his contract at 40M AAV and was corrected as to the contracts actual details, which I fail to recall.
They have Bregman for one more season with his opt outs, his contract to me is hard to decipher, payroll value 25M, cash value 20M – 10yrs of 6M cash deferred – why would that not be included in the payroll number in those seasons?
If Bregman Opts out, does he get the deferred money? Who pays it?
I figure the Red Sox might want to extend him beyond the three years of that deal, with the long term deal he would be looking for if he does opt out in ’26. If they move Devers, that opens up the potential for that to happen. They clearly prefer Bregman to Devers.
this is nonsense. If the sox were planning to sign Bregman to a long term contract they would have just done that instead of giving him all the opt outs and if the sox “preferred” Bergman to Devers they also would have give Bregman a long term deal.
Yes, if he opts out he gets the deferred money.
I figure the Red Sox might want to extend him beyond the three years of that deal,
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Bregman either opts in or opts out.
If he opts in, the point is moot.
If he opts out, then Mayer takes over.
miller – Sorry I’m late, been very busy.
Bregman has an opt out after this season too, if he continues to play the way he has it’s a certainty he opts out this year.
Cash Total for this season doesn’t include the $5M signing bonus he got, that’s why the adjusted payroll salary is $25M which is $5M higher than the Cash Total.
Literally half of his $120M total contract is deferred, If he opts out after this season, the Sox are on the hook for $2M annually from 2035 to 2044 as the payor is determined by which team he played for when the salary was earned.
The CBT payroll is based on NPV, which is why only $31.7M annually gets counted toward the CBT.
Devers is still trying to adjust to being a fulltime DH after getting blindsided in ST because of Cora, he’s a much better hitter than what he’s shown thus far this season.
Believe it or not, NESN is doing a new show called The Mindset and they are embarrassing themselves by featuring Bregman in the first episode, in which he brags about his 2017 performance despite everyone on the planet knowing he cheated that year.
What’s next, the Red Sox gonna bring back Triple U too?
miller – It’s sure looking like Casas and Abreu will be sitting when they face lefties.
Seems like, barring injuries, a trade is inevitable.
Might be a good idea to trade for a catching prospect currently being blocked. Dalton Rushing in LA would be a good target.
that’s a good suggestion
The White Sox might trade you Teel back for Mayer.
FPG – I spent the whole afternoon thinking the same. I’m convinced that Casas will be traded, especially if they’re going to platoon him. His has more value to other teams. He’s cheap with upside potential. Maybe his hometown Marlins would be interested? Do they have any trade pieces they’re looking to move on their side ??????
The other thought that I had is, since the F.O. and Cora think everyone can play amy position, of Casas does go, can we give Story a first baseman’s mitt?
Sad – I think now that people have caught on to what Casas is all about, they will continue to shop him around. If Devers can play first base, they wouldn’t have to give away Yoshida and eat his contract.
Marlins is a great possibility. Agustin Ramirez is definitely one player I’d like to have, he’s a 23-year-old righthanded hitting catcher who has an .816 OPS in the minors and is raking with Miami (.474 BA, 1.682 OPS).
I don’t see that happening with Story. Even though he’s gotten off to a rough start in the field, he’s still generally solid at both SS and 2B.
However, one thing to watch with Story is his reluctance to dive because of his injury history. If that reluctance continues, it could become an issue because obviously middle infielders need to dive quite often.
Their is no way the Marlins are trading Agustn Ramirez. He is going to be a great player.
miller – I’m just being overly optimistic as usual ;O)
How about Rafaela and Casas for Ramirez? ;O)
If the ocean sinks miami, they might consider that trade.
I like both Rafaella and Casas –
I think the Yanks would take Devers, Rafaella and Casas for Bellinger, Jones, LaLane and LaGrange.
The red sox and Yankees would never make that trade. and the red sox especially have zero intention of doing that.
Its quite clear that Fatse and Cora are trying to get Casas to swing earlier in the count. The swing to do damage kind of attack that Fatse likes. It’s also quite clear that Casas isn’t comfortable with an aggressive approach. He needs to take his walks to be effective he’s not a guy that chases a lot he’s just off a bit he’s starting to get more selective his walk rate is creeping back up he’s taking some better swings it’s early. He will be fine. Let’s take a closer look in June if he’s still struggling offensively which I highly doubt.
Bruin – I totally agree that was the biggest issue with Casas for a long time, he was swinging first pitch every time and being way too aggressive.
However over the past week it seems like he’s gone back to being patient and selective, so hopefully he’s over the hump.
FPG – i was thinking of perhaps including Casas (and probably Raffaele) in a bigger package for Alcantara, obviously you’d have to build it out some, as the Marlins are going to get a haul
It would be a thing of beauty for the next two seasons to see him and Crochet, one left, one right as a One-Two punch at the top of a rotation
I’m not saying I really want to see those two guys leave, but, trading both Casas and Raffaele is the best path to open up spots for Mayer and Anthony.
Sad – They have plenty of outfielders to cover for Rafaela, but trading Casas without a legit first baseman is a concern. Are you thinking Romy would be the fulltime replacement? I’d like to give Devers a shot, but BEFORE Casas is traded …. not after.
How about giving Anthony some reps at first in AAA? He’s a tall athletic lefty. His OF glove is not spectacular but he’s familiar with the right side of the field. Seems no more far fetched than Devers playing 1B
Sean – I’ve heard that suggestion before, can’t remember which media guy started it.
Anthony is not a bad defensive outfielder. First base is the easiest position to play in baseball, generally only the players who can’t play any other position well end up playing first base. That would be Raffy ;O)
Anthony is generally looked at as an above average defensive outfielder on the corners. He was always looked at as unlikely to stick in center but he surprised at every level he’s probably an average defensive centerfielder.
They aren’t going to move him to first because Casas has struggled to start the season in less than 30 games. They aren’t even going to be worried about Casas until at least the end of May and by then he’s likely to be hitting much better. Nothing in his profile suggests he should be hitting to a .197 babip. He will be fine let’s not start the crazy talk this early in the season.
Bruin – Well said!
Casas is already hitting, since April 22 he has a 1.318 OPS with 2 HR, 4 BB and 6 RBI.
I wasn’t suggesting they bring him up to play 1B. I just said it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get some reps. If it wasn’t ugly, it could come in handy. There is a trade to be made, whether it’s for an MLB ready catching prospect, top of the rotation SP, or both. We have holes in the roster to fill and the trade chips to fill them. Sandy would be ideal. Miami is desperate for MLB quality positional players. LA would likely be interested in swapping high ceiling prospects with us. We take their top catching prospect thats being blocked by Will Smith and we give them their SS of the future. Mayer or Arias.
Casas might be platooning at the pier on a fishing boat soon.
Miller – you’re right, he could be! I’m thinking back to his slow start last year which gives me some hope.
You’re an idiot.
No chance. Devers is, imo, a much better contract than the recently-signed Soto and Vlad.
Rafaela had a 2.8 bWAR last year and is on pace for a 5.4 this year.
Soto’s contract is the worst of all time. Will end up being worse than Rendon. Trout contract is awful. Kris Bryant has an awful deal. The list goes on.
Rafaella should be starting everyday, but who are you going to sit? You going to keep Anthony in AAA? He is clearly ready for a promotion. Mayer too. The Red Sox are all jammed up.
Red Sox are hardly “jammed up”. Injuries happen, players could be dealt, but it’s a nice “problem” for the sox to have.
bwmiller79
“Soto’s contract is the worst of all time. …The list goes on.”
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So Devers is a relatively good contract?
“The Red Sox are all jammed up.”
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Teams usually don’t have too much talent. In this case, I’m guessing that Abreu is the first to go.
I dont like most of the long term mega deals, I dont like Devers deal either, but relative to Soto’s, Id say yes.
The jam up is not so much about having too much talent, its about stagnating talent. It creates a bad clubhouse, players who dont get run regress. All four of the Ref Sox OF should be everyday players. Abreu, Anthony, Rafaella – all would be unhappy in a platoon. The young players with talent want to play everyday. Thats why its a jam up. And in the infield, you have nonwhere to play Mayer unless you bench Casas, thats a jam up, Casas is an everyday player on the majority of teams across the league. He wont be happy in the bench.
I’ll tell you right now the Red Sox aren’t going to bench Casas to play Devers at first a position he has never played not even in spring training. Casas isn’t getting benched unless someone in charge thinks that Romy is the better everyday option and that’s not going to happen.
The Red Sox have time, the outfield is already outstanding and Anthony is only 20 about to be 21. They don’t really need him right now. Abreu and Rafaela are outstanding defenders. Abreu is an above average hitter with arguably the best outfield arm in baseball. Rafaela is an outstanding defensive centerfielder who if he hits .250 with some pop is 3 to 5 war player like Kiermeier was. Duran is captain chaos one of the best base runners in all of baseball and really good offensive player. The jury is still out on how his outfield defense is but it’s probably at least average making him a star player. The Red Sox outfield is outstanding there is no jam because Anthony is only 20 and had like 250 at bats at AAA. They can wait there is no jam up and these things usually work themselves out.
Bruin – It’s not about benching Casas to get Devers at first base. Casas is being benched against LHP no matter what, all we are saying is why not give Raffy a chance at first base instead of Romy? I have yet to hear Cora or anyone else explain why Raffy isn’t being given a chance, which is quite odd.
But Anthony is hitting .313/.451/.588 in AAA, he is pushing the issue. You can keep him down in AAA for the season, that is an option, but Anthony is ready for his promotion and he might be looking for one of those rookie deals too.
Mayer is hitting .280/.324/.548 – he also is ready for his promotion, and also likes that rookie deal Campbell got.
You give Cambpell and Rafaella the rookie deals and you dont have rookie deals for your two top prospects? They will become disgruntled at some point. Stagnating. Jam Up.
miller – The Sox desperately need Anthony’s bat in the lineup, but they don’t want his service time clock to begin yet. He has no interest in signing a longterm extension, while Mayer is lukewarm on the subject.
Something has to give, probably in July. I think a trade is inevitable.
They will become disgruntled at some point.
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1-You don’t know if they’ve been offered a deal, or even if they want to sign a deal.
2-Long-term minor league deals are still pretty rare.
Miller: that’s more speculation that’s not based on any real fact. I agree with everything that Bruin said. There should not be a rush to push both Anthony or Mayer. There is no stagnation and no jam up.
Mayer would be a candidate for a deal. Anthony probably doesn’t make sense. If he is as good as advertised then paying him accordingly when he approaches arbitration would be best.
Neither Mayer nor anthony make sense in a trade at this point as both 3B and SS could be open in the next 1-2 years.
Referring to a long term rookie “deal”
Speculation? Players all around the league are getting promoted with far lessor numbers than Mayer and Anthony currently have posted in AAA.
There is no jam up because the truth is there is no option for either Mayer or Anthony but to accept their current lot. But there is a jam up in the homeostasis within your organization, and it will affect your team negatively.
Players get promoted generally as they are needed by the big league club. Not because the organization is concerned with how not-being-promoted will make the player “feel”. They will get very little sympathy from major league players, coaches, and management if they come up complaining they should have been there last month. This isn’t the NBA. Putting in the work and paying your dues are a right of passage. Our AAA players knocking on the door will get their shot in due time and when it best serves the big league club. I work with a minor league affiliate and this topic is discussed daily. Would we all like Anthony and Mayer on the 26 man? Absolutely. Would Anthony and Mayer themselves like to be on the 26 man? Absolutely. Is service time manipulation part of the game? Absolutely. Do they know this? Absolutely. Does it benefit the team more than the players? Debatable, but generally yes. Will it “affect the team negatively”? I highly doubt it will cause “grudges” that Anthony and Mayer carry with them into the clubhouse this year when they do get the call up and/or throughout their careers. I don’t believe they will carry that chip and look for a way to punish the team in the future. That being said, if Anthony or Mayer played 1B or C and were hitting like they are in AAA, they would have been in Boston already.
Worth noting that the guys who signed the early deals (Bello, Rafaela, Campbell) didn’t get seven figure signing bonuses in the draft. Guys like Mayer, Anthony, Houck, Casas can afford to be a little more patient to try to maximize their value.
Maybe Anthony should start taking reps at 1B? He’s athletic enough that he could pick it up.
Thanks for the tuteledge Sean, you clearly are wise and knowledgeable.
Mayer is Rule 5 next season, he will be on the roster. Anthony likely will too but you can hold him back until ’27.
They arent due anything. But, they are human. They have ambitions. They are prone to the envy and jealousy and all the other emotions that come with perceived slights. They may deal well with those emotional states, they may be true professionals and not let it affect them, or those feelings may cause them stress that sticks with them and thwarts their development.
Its not only these two that are blocked, they are both taking run from their teammates in AAA and players in AA who are ready for a promotion – it has an affect up and down the system. Players feel like there is nowhere to go, they become complacent. The great ones will emerge, thats what that grinder is all about, but if you make it more difficult than it already is because you mismanage the team, you cause unneeded drama and stress, that’s the worst kind.
In your last statement you yourself admitted there is a jam up by saying that both would be up if they played C or 1B. I don’t see where you have an argument anymore. Im just a fan and I bet on the game so I follow it closely. Id never work for any of you.
As far as the rookie deals, neither Mayer or Anthony should be offered more than Campbell. But the team should offer them the extensions and make it their decision on whether or not it is in their best interest because they have both been blue chip prospects. To not offer them extensions similar to Cambpell is a slight.
Playing Anthony at first base would be a waste of his skill set.
Of course… But playing him in the minors is also a waste of his skill set, so it appears the waste is a given.
Wait – That’s a fantastic point!
Wait – Did you catch Ricciardi’s comments on Anthony? He said Roman is a stellar CF and he thinks that’s where he should play when he’s called up. I agree with him, moving Roman to 1B would be an incredible waste and why risk his development by forcing him to learn a new position? I’m fine with him moving to LF though and Duran to CF.
JP also said he believes Roman could be one of the best Sox players ever.
not really. He’s getting regular at bats right now and wouldn’t be getting those if he were in the majors..
I’m not pleased with how snarky my message came across sorry. I’m just a fan too my friend.
I didn’t take it personally nor thought it was snarky so no worries at least from my standpoint. It’s only the internet so I try not to take things too seriously
This post made my head hurt
Yoshida might be the new Rusney Castillo…
Rusney Castillo ,the Sox didn’t want his salary added to the major league teams overall player compensation. Due to the salary cap situation. That’s why they kept him in the minors for most of his infamous contract.
Meanwhile Yasmani Grandal has an OPS of over 1.000 so far in AAA. No idea why they haven’t swapped him out for Sabol yet.
I think Casas will be traded or even sent to AAA to see if he can start hitting. I think the RS will see if they can convert Anthony to a first baseman. It has been a long time since the RS have had an outstanding player at first base. The other variable in this is that Abreu hasn.t hit left-handed pitching well, so Anthony could still be in RF long-term .and Abreu be traded off season. In some ways, it is a pleasant problem,to have, but it is tough situation for a near-rookie GM like Breslow to sort out. Rafaela’s strike zone management is also a factor in the equation.
Burgs
I think Casas will be traded or even sent to AAA to see if he can start hitting.
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Casas has started hitting. He has 3 HRs with a 16/9 K/W this month. That’s within his normal range. 2 HRs in his last 26 ABs with a 5/6 K/W. He’ll be fine.
I agree on Abreu.
Rafaela has some issues with the strike zone, but he’s much better than last year (151/15 v 16/6). He’s playing really well now.
His only position is DH because of how poorly he plays defense. I question the scouting of Yoshida , couldn’t they tell how bad he was defensively prior to Bloom signing him ?? His bat does play in MLB. It’s odd to put him on the IL because he can’t throw ,even though he would not play in the field . Have they worked with him on his defense?
cdc – He had a tough time adjusting in his first year, and ultimately the fatigue got to him. Last year he didn’t take the field because of his shoulder injury. So really, judging him on half a year of defense in his first MLB season really isn’t fair. It’s like judging Duran’s defense in 2021, the people here who did that looked really foolish 2 years later.
FPG
I would like to see the Sox coaches work with him extensively in left field when he returns from the IL. He must improve playing the wall if he is going to be more than a DH. IMO.Duran still scares me a little , sometimes he just doesn’t look comfortable. Also, let’s hope Giolito gives us 5 solid tonight.