Connor Wong Has Run His Course In Boston

[Alex Mayes]

It must be pretty weird to be Connor Wong. By all accounts, he's a great teammate and a hard-working player, but he’s the lone piece left of the ill-fated trade that sent Mookie Betts to the Dodgers. We’re not going to rehash that at this point, but his baseball legacy will forever be attached to one of the greatest right fielders in Boston Red Sox history. Unfortunately for Wong, he’s playing himself into joining past teammates Alex Verdugo and Jeter Downs in the MLB unemployment line at the conclusion of the 2026 season. 

Going into the All-Star break, Wong was a fine backup catcher who ended up making far more starts than anyone anticipated due to the struggles that Carlos Narvaez was having at the plate. When the league took a pause for the Midsummer Classic, Wong was slashing .288/.385/.387 with 15 RBIs, one home run, a 121 wRC+, and a 0.5 fWAR. He was passable offensively and a dependable, if uninspiring, catcher behind the dish. On the season, he’s challenged 23 pitches that he believed were called incorrectly and had 16 of them overturned, good for a 70% success rate. If this keen eye behind the dish was still coupled with a league-average hitter, fans would be perfectly fine playing out the string with Wong catching every few games. 

Unfortunately for the veteran backstop, things have gone south since the league resumed play in July. For the second half of the season, Wong is slashing .172/.217/.310 with nine RBIs, three home runs, a 41 wRC+, and a team worst -0.5 fWAR. If we look at his overall defensive numbers, there’s not much to be excited about there either. His most favorable defensive metric is his blocks above average at +2, which is good for the 66th percentile. His caught stealing above average is a -2, good for the 14th percentile. His pop time is averaging 1.97 seconds, good for the 23rd percentile, and his framing runs comes in at a -7, which puts him in the third overall percentile in the league.

To put it simply, the second half of the season has been a slog for Wong. He’s made errors in big situations, having struggled to corral pitches that have high velocity behind them. Wong has been penciled in as the personal catcher for both Sonny Gray and Payton Tolle after the team traded Narvaez at the trade deadline, but both pitchers have recently begun throwing to newcomer Adley Rutschman. It's telling that the shift to a different catcher has been so quick, especially with the new face nursing an elbow injury that kept him sidelined for a few games earlier this month. 

The biggest question now is: What can the Red Sox do with Wong moving forward? Don’t be shocked to see him DFA’d as the team navigates through the late fall months before the lockout hits in December, but doesn't solve the problem in the here and now.

It would be considered a fairly drastic move by some, but it wouldn’t shock me at all to see Wong optioned to Worcester once Willson Contreras comes off the injured list later this week, paving the way for the Goateed Menace himself, Mickey Gasper, to slide into a hybrid DH/backup first baseman/backup catcher role through the end of the season. Due to Wong’s defensive downturn, they're both grading out in a fairly similar manner behind the dish. To maximize offense and roster spots, perhaps a demotion is warranted.

Connor Wong has likely run out of goodwill in Boston, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has watched most of his career here. It’s time for the Red Sox to move on from the lone remaining piece of the Betts trade, with the goal of replenishing their catching depth in the offseason.

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[bobo52]

I'm not so sure they will be getting rid of Wong - he hits LHP by far the best of the 3.  The Red Sox do not even bat Gasper against lefties (269 OPS against LHP and 964 vs RHP) )  and Rutschman (640 OPS against LHP and 784 against RHP) is also stronger against RHP.  Wong hits 724 OPS against LHP and 636 vs RHP - much better against lefties than the alternatives.  I think they like the flexibility/platoon advantages of keeping Wong  and the fact that Gasper can be a platoon 1B or DH allows them to carry the 3 catchers.  

Wong is also much better than Gasper defensively and Rutschman has an elbow problem.  I hope Wong can turn it around - we can definitely use him against lefties.  

[moonslav59]

Wong has had a few stretches where he looks like he can hit .725-.775, but then he keeps relapsing into .550-.650. His defense has improved some, and he has gotten good/better results from a few starting pitchers over the years.

I agree. This winter should see a change made, and no Gasper should not be the #2. Number 2's play too often.

[mvp 78]

1 hour ago, bobo52 said:

I'm not so sure they will be getting rid of Wong - he hits LHP by far the best of the 3.  The Red Sox do not even bat Gasper against lefties (269 OPS against LHP and 964 vs RHP) )  and Rutschman (640 OPS against LHP and 784 against RHP) is also stronger against RHP.  Wong hits 724 OPS against LHP and 636 vs RHP - much better against lefties than the alternatives.  I think they like the flexibility/platoon advantages of keeping Wong  and the fact that Gasper can be a platoon 1B or DH allows them to carry the 3 catchers.  

Wong is also much better than Gasper defensively and Rutschman has an elbow problem.  I hope Wong can turn it around - we can definitely use him against lefties.  

Adley is a career 771 vs LHP. He's basically been an even split guy and I wouldn't necessarily believe that he'd favor RHP going forward. 

[Jayinjax]

Yep, Connor had his moment two years ago but now looks like the 55mph man. Not much emotion, not much spark. Seems like a nice guy but with Duran and Story, the 3 are a strikeout nightmare.

[Alex Mayes]

19 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Wong has had a few stretches where he looks like he can hit .725-.775, but then he keeps relapsing into .550-.650. His defense has improved some, and he has gotten good/better results from a few starting pitchers over the years.

I agree. This winter should see a change made, and no Gasper should not be the #2. Number 2's play too often.

That's what is so frustrating about him. There are times he looks like a solid backup who can be an actual contributor, but then he craters out like he's doing right now. 

I also agree that Gasper shouldn't be the number two catcher, but if his defensive numbers are that close to Wong's then I'd opt to keep him around in that role as long as he's swinging a hot bat. Adley should be getting the bulk of playing time down the stretch and into October so the number two catcher spot shouldn't matter too much. Carrying three catchers in October, even if Gasper operates more as a DH/backup for Willson, limits the flexibility you need in the postseason. 

[mvp 78]

1 minute ago, Jayinjax said:

Yep, Connor had his moment two years ago but now looks like the 55mph man. Not much emotion, not much spark. Seems like a nice guy but with Duran and Story, the 3 are a strikeout nightmare.

Welcome to TalkSox!

[Alex Mayes]

1 hour ago, bobo52 said:

I'm not so sure they will be getting rid of Wong - he hits LHP by far the best of the 3.  The Red Sox do not even bat Gasper against lefties (269 OPS against LHP and 964 vs RHP) )  and Rutschman (640 OPS against LHP and 784 against RHP) is also stronger against RHP.  Wong hits 724 OPS against LHP and 636 vs RHP - much better against lefties than the alternatives.  I think they like the flexibility/platoon advantages of keeping Wong  and the fact that Gasper can be a platoon 1B or DH allows them to carry the 3 catchers.  

Wong is also much better than Gasper defensively and Rutschman has an elbow problem.  I hope Wong can turn it around - we can definitely use him against lefties.  

There's no scenario where Wong should get a nod over Adley against lefties unless it's a scheduled day off. The numbers are the numbers defensively for both Wong and Gasper, they are almost the exact same player behind the dish at this point in the season. 

[Alex Mayes]

3 minutes ago, Jayinjax said:

Yep, Connor had his moment two years ago but now looks like the 55mph man. Not much emotion, not much spark. Seems like a nice guy but with Duran and Story, the 3 are a strikeout nightmare.

Welcome to Talk Sox! 

You hit the nail on the head with Duran and Story as well. If you dig around on here, you'll find I soured on both of them long, long ago haha.

[mvp 78]

2 minutes ago, Alex Mayes said:

Welcome to Talk Sox! 

You hit the nail on the head with Duran and Story as well. If you dig around on here, you'll find I soured on both of them long, long ago haha.

You've been one of his bigger fans on here lately! 

https://talksox.com/forums/topic/91339-jarren-duran-might-be-turning-the-corner-at-the-plate-in-august/

🤔

 

[Alex Mayes]

2 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

You've been one of his bigger fans on here lately! 

https://talksox.com/forums/topic/91339-jarren-duran-might-be-turning-the-corner-at-the-plate-in-august/

🤔

 

I felt I had to be nice for a minute or two.

[mvp 78]

2 minutes ago, Alex Mayes said:

I felt I had to be nice for a minute or two.

Let the foot off the gas and now he has a 475 OPS in September. Unbelievable. 

Go back to being mean so that he can be good for the playoffs, please. 

[Alex Mayes]

37 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Let the foot off the gas and now he has a 475 OPS in September. Unbelievable. 

Go back to being mean so that he can be good for the playoffs, please. 

Done. Been working on a 'who in recent Red Sox memory does Duran comp to' piece and it's not good.

[mvp 78]

17 minutes ago, Alex Mayes said:

Done. Been working on a 'who in recent Red Sox memory does Duran comp to' piece and it's not good.

I just looked and have a guy in mind. We'll see if you put him on your list. 

[bobo52]

I dont think Wong is going anywhere - he is one of their best hitters against LHP and the only catcher who hits it well.  I only see Rutschman batting well from the left side so far for the Red Sox.  Wong is just much better vs lefties and Gasper doesnt even hit against lefties.  

[mvp 78]

Adley's OPS was higher vs LHP than RHP in '23, '24 and '25. With switch hitters, it just fluctuates sometimes. I wouldn't read into it, especially over a 50 PA sample. 

[Alex Mayes]

6 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Adley's OPS was higher vs LHP than RHP in '23, '24 and '25. With switch hitters, it just fluctuates sometimes. I wouldn't read into it, especially over a 50 PA sample. 

Well said. There's a nuance you have to keep in mind when dealing with switch hitters for sure.

[moonslav59]

3 hours ago, Alex Mayes said:

That's what is so frustrating about him. There are times he looks like a solid backup who can be an actual contributor, but then he craters out like he's doing right now. 

I also agree that Gasper shouldn't be the number two catcher, but if his defensive numbers are that close to Wong's then I'd opt to keep him around in that role as long as he's swinging a hot bat. Adley should be getting the bulk of playing time down the stretch and into October so the number two catcher spot shouldn't matter too much. Carrying three catchers in October, even if Gasper operates more as a DH/backup for Willson, limits the flexibility you need in the postseason. 

I'm a big CERA/OPSA when specific Catcher are catching specific pitchers guy, and my guess is Wong blows Gasper away. Gasper's sample size are small no point can be made.

Wong has decent numbers in this area.

[SoxDiehard]

Gee, I don’t know, why are we even talking about Connor Wong right now when he’s the only catcher we basically have? You start a conversation like this and yes, it ultimately gets back to the player that the fans are losing confidence in the guy. Really? At this juncture in the season this is all we need to talk about. Yes, his time may have run his course. But frankly, we need him right now, so let’s focus on something more important.

[Alex Mayes]

55 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I'm a big CERA/OPSA when specific Catcher are catching specific pitchers guy, and my guess is Wong blows Gasper away. Gasper's sample size are small no point can be made.

Wong has decent numbers in this area.

Admittedly, as you know from listening to the podcast, I'm not as in with those stats as I should be. If those numbers support Wong, that's a valid reason to keep him around. I'm going to dig more into this side of things. 

[Alex Mayes]

2 minutes ago, SoxDiehard said:

Gee, I don’t know, why are we even talking about Connor Wong right now when he’s the only catcher we basically have? You start a conversation like this and yes, it ultimately gets back to the player that the fans are losing confidence in the guy. Really? At this juncture in the season this is all we need to talk about. Yes, his time may have run his course. But frankly, we need him right now, so let’s focus on something more important.

I think the message that not just fans, but likely the managerial staff of the team, has lost confidence in Wong when Gasper started at catcher last night instead of him. 

[SoxDiehard]

OK, it wasn’t because he needed rest because he’s carrying the bulk of the catching now? Maybe trying to get a switch hitter in to the lineup?

[Alex Mayes]

1 minute ago, SoxDiehard said:

OK, it wasn’t because he needed rest because he’s carrying the bulk of the catching now? Maybe trying to get a switch hitter in to the lineup?

With an off day coming up and Adley expected to play on Friday? I doubt it. If he can't catch two days in a row then there's a much different conversation that needs to happen surrounding him. Before two nights ago he last caught on the 5th, he should have been plenty rested to catch back-to-back games if the staff believed he was the right guy to be out there. 

[Behindenemylines]

31 minutes ago, SoxDiehard said:

Gee, I don’t know, why are we even talking about Connor Wong right now when he’s the only catcher we basically have? You start a conversation like this and yes, it ultimately gets back to the player that the fans are losing confidence in the guy. Really? At this juncture in the season this is all we need to talk about. Yes, his time may have run his course. But frankly, we need him right now, so let’s focus on something more important.

Agree! This is a topic to revisit in the off season. I am more concerned with the starting pitching holding up. Back-to-back losses to a last place Angels team that put up crocket numbers in inning against Sox starters. If Sox don't get solid pitching against Yanks (I'm assuming that is our playoff opponent) they have no chance! 

[mvp 78]

9 minutes ago, Behindenemylines said:

Agree! This is a topic to revisit in the off season. I am more concerned with the starting pitching holding up. Back-to-back losses to a last place Angels team that put up crocket numbers in inning against Sox starters. If Sox don't get solid pitching against Yanks (I'm assuming that is our playoff opponent) they have no chance! 

Well, Sandoval will definitely NOT be starting in the Bronx. There is a conversation between Suarez vs Bennett. Bennett has given up 3 or more runs in 8 of his last 9 starts (5.08 ERA) and seems to be slowing down). Suarez has a playoff pedigree and has pitched a little better than Bennett since coming off the IL. If Bennett and Sandoval aren't Wild Card starters, then the Angels beating up on them at Fenway doesn't matter. 

[moonslav59]

2 hours ago, Alex Mayes said:

Admittedly, as you know from listening to the podcast, I'm not as in with those stats as I should be. If those numbers support Wong, that's a valid reason to keep him around. I'm going to dig more into this side of things. 

It's a controversial topic, and in my opinion often misused. Looking at just team CERA is not an accurate methodology. One major variable is the unbalanced innings caught from one pitcher to the next, so I have done studies of CERA and OPS Against pitcher by pitcher with a stronger emphasis placed on examples that have larger and more balanced sample sizes.

I've done this for many years, and will for this year, when I have time. The results show Wong has been pretty good (vs Narvaez in 2025 and McGuire/Jansen in 2024 and others before that.) This is not to say Narvaez or others sucked, but Wong did get better results with more pitchers.

[moonslav59]

2 hours ago, Alex Mayes said:

With an off day coming up and Adley expected to play on Friday? I doubt it. If he can't catch two days in a row then there's a much different conversation that needs to happen surrounding him. Before two nights ago he last caught on the 5th, he should have been plenty rested to catch back-to-back games if the staff believed he was the right guy to be out there. 

AR did get a Cortisone shot after Monday's game, so...

[bobo52]

Quote

Adley's OPS was higher vs LHP than RHP in '23, '24 and '25. With switch hitters, it just fluctuates sometimes. I wouldn't read into it, especially over a 50 PA sample. 

Thanks for the explanation.  The problem is that it isnt 2023 or 2024 anymore and Rutschman has been awful trying to hit from the right side - which is why latest 50 PAs is important.  The only time he is effective is when he bats lefty and thats against RHP.   Wong in his last 50 PAs is batting very well against Lefties - his problem is that they also use him a lot against Righties because he is good defensively - hence his overall stats dont look great. Chad Tracy and Craig Breslow agree with me - Wong will be on the roster for the rest of the year and in the postseason because he is by far the most effective catcher against LHP and they will use him in that role.  I dont know why we care about whether the Red Sox will move on from him in the offseason - I dont know why as a Red Sox fan you would write something distracting like that in the middle of a pennant race.  

[mvp 78]

2 minutes ago, bobo52 said:

Thanks for the explanation.  The problem is that it isnt 2023 or 2024 anymore and Rutschman has been awful trying to fit from the right side - which is why latest 50 PAs is important.  The only time he is effective is when he bats lefty and thats against RHP.   Wong in his last 50 PAs is batting very well against Lefties - his problem is that they also use him a lot against Righties because he is good defensively. Chad Tracy and Craig Breslow agree with me - Wong will be on the roster for the rest of the year and in the postseason because he is by far the most effective catcher against LHP.  I dont know why we care about whether the Red Sox will move on from him in the offseason - I dont know why as a Red Sox fan you would write something distracting like that in the middle of a pennant race.  

But the last 50 PA sample size you note includes only 9 PAs hitting RH'd. That sample is so small that it's hard to find much meaning in it. That's basically a bad 3 games. Coming off an injury, there's so much that could affect that sample: elbow pain, opposing pitcher, weather, stadium. 

As for Alex writing this article, I don't think it's distracting at all. This is NOT a pennant race. The Sox have zero chance at catching the Rays. The Sox are firmly in the 2nd WC slot. It would be very hard to move up to pass the Yanks or move down to the 3rd slot. Even so, many of us are able have multiple conversations about the Red Sox at once. This isn't Chad Tracy talking about Dylan Brown in a press conference right now. We can talk about a ton of topics all throughout the year and it's not really a big deal. It's always been that way on here.

[Alex Mayes]

23 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

But the last 50 PA sample size you note includes only 9 PAs hitting RH'd. That sample is so small that it's hard to find much meaning in it. That's basically a bad 3 games. Coming off an injury, there's so much that could affect that sample: elbow pain, opposing pitcher, weather, stadium. 

As for Alex writing this article, I don't think it's distracting at all. This is NOT a pennant race. The Sox have zero chance at catching the Rays. The Sox are firmly in the 2nd WC slot. It would be very hard to move up to pass the Yanks or move down to the 3rd slot. Even so, many of us are able have multiple conversations about the Red Sox at once. This isn't Chad Tracy talking about Dylan Brown in a press conference right now. We can talk about a ton of topics all throughout the year and it's not really a big deal. It's always been that way on here.

mvp is the real MVP