Connor Wong Has An Uncertain Future With Red Sox

After missing about a month between early April and May, Red Sox catcher Connor Wong has yet to return to his 2024 form offensively. As a matter of fact, Wong hasn’t even come close, as his slash line reads .158/.262/.158. Now, Wong only has 65 plate appearances, which is too small of a sample size to truly assess, but the ascension of Rookie of the Year contender and fellow catcher Carlos Narváez begs to question whether Wong will even have an extended opportunity to get back on track. 

Wong had his best season to date in 2024, and he wound up finishing with a 110 wRC+, which was eighth among all catchers with 350 or more plate appearances. He struck out 23.4% of the time, which was a vast improvement on his 33.3% strikeout rate in 2023. Overall, Wong had a career-best season with the bat by almost every metric. He did, however, struggle defensively behind the plate, and his negative seven catcher framing runs was fifth worst in Major League Baseball. 

So far, in his 24 games this season, Wong has struggled mightily at the plate. He has a .420 OPS and has yet to record an extra-base hit in 57 at-bats. The power he flashed in 2024 is nowhere to be seen, though his expected slugging percentage remains similar. Wong is not hitting the ball with much authority this year, though his barrel rate and hard-hit rate have actually improved slightly in 2025. It puts into question whether Wong could ever return to his 2024 form, as his underlying metrics from last season do not show a 110 wRC+ hitter. It's worth noting that Wong has walked just over 10% of the time so far in 2025, which is good for a career high. Ultimately, the backstop has hardly played this season, and his numbers could look much different after ten more starts. Once Wong surpasses 150 plate appearances, we can begin to analyze his season with some clarity. 

The issue for Wong is that he has not gotten much opportunity since his return, as it coincided with the May ascension of Narváez. Regardless of whether he stays hot offensively, the Red Sox will likely start Narváez as much as they can behind the plate for the rest of the season, as he has been spectacular defensively. Narváez is tied for second among all catchers in framing runs with four. He has also been well above average at blocking the baseball, which Wong consistently struggled with. An elite framing catcher is greatly valued in the modern game, and Narváez coming in this good as a rookie is significant for the Red Sox. Oh yeah, he's slashing .283/.356/.456 while maintaining an 80th percentile barrel rate. 

Where does that leave Wong? Well, it leaves him as the backup catcher on a team with a set designated hitter in Rafael Devers. Wong will not break out of his slump by simply playing a week straight and regaining his confidence. It is also unlikely he will get sent down unless the Red Sox call up Yasmani Grandal to get the starts behind the plate when Narváez rests. That likely won't happen anytime soon, as Wong does not have enough plate appearances to justify a send down. Instead, Wong will continue to play once or twice a week, and hope to get hot at some point, especially if Narváez slumps over an extended period. There is also a possibility that Wong could get moved at the deadline. With three years of team control left beyond this season, and a small arbitration number coming this fall, a few teams could be interested in the 29-year-old, especially if he can turn it around offensively. 

As the lone piece remaining from the Mookie Betts trade, Wong may be running out of time in Boston. Although his struggles have not greatly impacted the team, Wong had a solid 2024, and he could still be a valuable piece for the Red Sox, whether it is behind the plate, or in a trade at the deadline. However, for that to be true, Wong must begin to look more like his 2024 self and put his early-season woes behind him.