Last month, The Red Sox made the expected call naming Carlos Narváez their Opening Day catcher. No surprise there. But the real story is the decision behind him. The backup catcher spot is shaping up to be a legitimate call between Connor Wong and Matt Thaiss—and it’s not as simple as it looks.
Let’s start with Wong. Yesterday, Manager Alex Cora gave him a vote of confidence, and it sounds like the organization may not view last season as a fair evaluation. Wong slashed just .190/.262/.238, which is rough by any standard, but there’s context here.
As Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported, Cora said, “Connor has done it before, so I’m not worried about him,” while also acknowledging the team may not have given him enough at-bats before bringing him back from injury. That lines up with what we all saw—Wong never really got a chance to find rhythm after returning. However, this Spring we’ve seen much of the same from Wong, as he has just two hits over 26 at bats.
But then there’s Matt Thaiss.
A former first-round pick with a left-handed bat, Thaiss brings a different kind of value—and some real leverage. He has a mobility clause in his contract that allows him to join another MLB team if he’s not on the Opening Day roster. That decision point comes just five days before the season starts, which puts pressure on Boston to act very soon.
If another team offers him a spot, the Red Sox would have to either keep him on, trade him, or risk losing him for nothing. There is a workaround, though—they could add Thaiss to the 40-man roster, which would allow them to retain him even if another team comes calling.
Boston also has Jason Delay, who has two opt-outs in his minor league deal, and Mickey Gasper who’s hitting .364 this Spring behind them —but honestly, I like the idea of having either Wong or Thaiss as our number three over those options, especially with Wong still having one minor league option remaining.
So what does this really come down to? With Wong, you’re banking on familiarity and a bounce-back. With Thaiss, you’re dealing with experience, a lefty bat, and the risk of losing him for nothing.
So who will it be? Will it be Wong, Thaiss, or will Cora surpise us all and go with Gasper? With Opening Day just around the corner, the Red Sox are going to have to make that decision very soon.