Carlos Narváez, the Red Sox' backup plan at catcher, has been working out fine since an injury to starter Connor Wong
But Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman found common ground after the 2023 season when oft-tardy outfielder
Then they did it again a year later when the Yankees sent 26-year-old catcher Carlos Narváez to the Sox for a minor league pitcher.
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Verdugo helped the Yankees get to the World Series last season. Now there's a chance Narváez could do the same for the Red Sox.
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Narváez has started 15 of the last 19 games since Connor Wong went on the injured list April 8 with a broken finger. The Sox are 10-5 in those games, and that's not a coincidence.
Narváez has drawn praise from the pitchers for his receiving skills, and through Sunday he led major league catchers with six defensive runs saved.
'He can really catch,' said Sox righthander Walker Buehler, who has had Narváez behind the plate for all six of his starts this season. 'I've liked working with him.'
The Sox moved on from backup catcher Reese McGuire last season with the July trade for Danny Jansen. Jansen signed with the Rays as a free agent in December, a few weeks before the Sox included top catching prospect Kyle Teel in the trade for Garrett Crochet.
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They needed to bolster the position and targeted Narváez, knowing the Yankees had good catching depth. The Sox sent righthander Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, a former fourth-round pick, to the Yankees for Narváez.
A few weeks before they traded for Narváez, the Red Sox hired Parker Guinn away from the Yankees to join the major league coaching staff as a catching instructor.
Guinn managed a Dominican Summer League team for the Yankees in 2024, then spent the final week of the season with Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
He got to know Narváez there as they talked during games and discussed catching techniques.
'When we traded for him, I immediately sent him some text messages making that connection,' Guinn said. 'It definitely helped knowing him a little.'
In spring training, Guinn worked with Narváez on improving his throwing. Since the season started, many of their discussions have centered on leadership and the catcher's role of guiding the pitchers through a game.
'You have to speak up and be there for the pitcher,' Narváez said. 'I had to get to know the pitchers here. That's been a big improvement for me.'
The physical aspects of catching — framing pitches and blocking balls in the dirt — are where Narváez excels. But there is much more to catching.
'The tools are clearly there,' Guinn said. 'But really taking the lead with Connor being out and really building relationships with those pitchers and learning how to navigate a game has been really impressive to see.'
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Sox coaches also have taken note of how Narváez has jumped into game-planning, sitting at his locker and studying information before games.
'He does his homework,' manager Alex Cora said.
When the Sox acquired Narváez, Cora got in touch with his winter league coach in Venezuela, former major league catcher Henry Blanco.
Blanco provided a positive scouting report, saying Narváez was ready. That proved to be correct when he was needed to carry a heavier load than expected.
Wong, who played his first rehab game for Triple A Worcester on Sunday, is expected back in the coming days. But Narváez is not going to be an occasional backup given what he has shown the team over the last three weeks.
'Sure, he will play a lot,' Cora said.
Narváez has hit only .173 with a .511 OPS since replacing Wong but is 7 for his last 26 with two home runs.
'I think offensively there's more. We've just got to be patient,' Cora said.
For a rookie still getting used to a new organization, Narváez is feeling at home.
He was one of the Sox players gathered for a steak dinner in Toronto on Sunday night after
'This is my team now,' Narváez said. 'The guys have been great. It's good to be here.'
Peter Abraham can be reached at
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