Connor Wong's Ice Grows Thinner Than Ever Before

The Boston Red Sox have made their final decision on who the No. 2 catcher will be, reassigning everyone but Connor Wong prior top Opening Day. From a track record standpoint, that makes sense; the was the starting catcher in 2024 and again in 2025 before an injury had him lose the job to Carlos Narváez. However, his performance across 2025 in spring training allowed a competition to form with veteran Matt Thaiss. A competition that Rob Bradford of WEEI said on air was a “legit competition” as of March 8.

Wong in 2025 saw his stock within the organization fall due to two factors, the first being his broken left pinkie finger that occurred in early April, and then just an overall subpar season that saw him hit .190/.262/.238 with eight doubles and seven RBIs. After the season concluded, Wong underwent a right-hand carpal boss excision which some felt could have influenced his hitting. Coming back from a hand injury isn’t always easy for a batter, especially during the season, and while no one expected Wong to replicate his 2024 season, his regression in 2025 was much worse than anyone could have imagined.

Thankfully for the Red Sox, Carlos Narváez stepped up during Wong’s absence and claimed the starting catcher’s position for himself. When Wong returned from the injured list in early May, Narváez remained as the starting backstop while Wong became the backup.

Wong has struggled at times behind the plate when it pertains to blocking pitches and framing, though he did improve upon the latter last year. Prior to 2025, he was, at worst, average when it came to pop time and throwing out baserunners, but both areas of his game regressed in 2025.

Offensively, Wong did not play enough to qualify for any rankings, but if he did, he would have been near the bottom of the league in exit velocity, hard-hit percentage, barrel percentage, squared-up percentage and launch angle sweet spot percentage. That's simply an unplayable profile for someone who isn't an elite defender behind the plate.

While some have hoped that Wong could bounce back in 2026, his performance in spring training left many wondering if the Red Sox might go in a different direction. In 13 games of action, he hit .129/.229/.161, good for a 3 wRC+. Of course, it’s spring training and you shouldn’t look too much into statistics from it (remember how Trayce Thompson looked like one of the best hitters in the spring of 2025?), but you can’t help but wonder if Wong’s time as the backup catcher is nearing its end.

The biggest factor that leads to this conversation is that Wong still has an option left. Should the Red Sox lose faith in his abilities, the team can stash Wong in Triple-A and see if they can’t get him back on track offensively. While he’s unlikely to put up numbers like 2024 again (.280/.333/.425 with 24 doubles, a triple, 13 home runs and 52 RBIs), he could be much closer to how he was in 2023 (.235/.288/.385). Not perfect, but serviceable as a backup.

Thaiss, who is in camp as a non-roster invitee, signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox on January 31. Prior to his demotion, he appeared in 10 games. While he also struggled offensive (.190/.346/.190 with one RBI), he made a lasting impression on the coaching staff with far-improved defensive work and a patient plate approach.

Thaiss is not the greatest offensively with a career stat line of .210/.320/.332, but those numbers would be an improvement over Wong’s 2025 season and would come with a (marginally) better defensive catcher. In a previous statement, Alex Cora spoke highly of Thaiss, saying he was “impressing people here” per Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. “His swing is really good. He’s left-handed. He’s been able to control the pitching staff. He’s a guy who has been catching our eye.”

Besides Cora being impressed with how Thaiss has been in camp, the biggest reason that the conversation has grown is due to Thaiss’ upward mobility clause. If that clause is triggered, Thaiss can be offered to the other 29 teams and if one of them are willing to give him a roster spot, then the Red Sox are forced to either promote him or trade him to the team that offered him the spot. If no one offers him a spot, then he can still be sent to Triple-A and be stashed in Worcester. However, should the Red Sox look to add Thaiss to their active roster, there will need to be a corresponding 40-man roster move.

For the past two seasons, the team has struggled to get offensive production from their backup catchers and have tried an array of players to fix the issue. Thaiss may not be perfect, but after a 2025 season that had the Red Sox try out options such as Blake Sabol and Ali Sanchez behind the plate due to injuries, Thaiss may end up being an upgrade for the backup position if chosen. For now, Wong remains Plan A, but his leash with the team is shorter than ever before.