Depth Chart Review: The Boston Red Sox At Catcher In 2026

The Boston Red Sox are in an interesting situation when it comes to their catching depth, as the 2025 season showed they need to improve upon major-league-ready options in the event of an injury.

While the team has a quality starter in Carlos Narváez, it gets a bit thin further down the depth chart. Remember when Connor Wong got hurt and missed significant time, and then again during a playoff push when Narváez himself was injured and missed a few games? While he returned to the lineup, it was clear he was not at 100% for the remainder of the season after rushing back.

With that, we’re going to take a look at the current state of the Red Sox's catching depth, going over the various options who could (or shouldn't) serve as backup plans in 2026.

MLB: Boston Red Sox

Starter: Carlos Narváez (118 games, .241/.306/.419 .726 OPS, 27 2Bs, 15 HR, 50 RBIs)

Acquired in a trade with the New York Yankees at last year's Winter Meetings, Narváez burst onto the scene after winning the starting position. Known for his defense, Narváez’s bat woke up as he was a key offensive piece for the team in the first half, often finding himself batting fourth for manager Alex Cora. Offensively, he began to regress in the second half as a career high in innings behind the plate coupled with a knee injury in August (that would require offseason surgery) caught up to him. Narváez looks to enter 2026 fully recovered and build off of a surprisingly strong rookie season.

Backup: Connor Wong (63 games, .190/.262/.238 .500 OPS, 8 2Bs, 7 RBIs)

To say 2025 was a disappointing season for Wong is an understatement. The catcher regressed more than expected from his breakout 2024 campaign, as he dealt with a fractured left pinky in April along with a carpal boss on the back of his hand throughout the season. Wong is expected to enter the 2026 season as the backup barring any unforeseen moves and should he play at a level between his 2024 and 2025 seasons, that will be perfectly fine. His second-half numbers saw a slight improvement as he hit .235/.292/.333 with eight doubles and six RBIs in 29 games. Defensively, he still has work to do as he was awful in nearly every catching category besides framing, where he was league average.

Triple-A Worcester

Starter: Jason Delay (68 games [AA Columbus Clingstones/AAA Gwinnett Stripers], .200/.261/.257 .518 OPS, 10 2Bs, 1 HR, 14 RBIs)

Delay follows the pattern of the Red Sox signing a veteran catcher who has experience in the majors to a minor-league deal to be a depth option in Triple-A. They did it last year with Seby Zavala and in 2024 with Tyler Heineman. Delay was not signed because of his bat, being a career .231/.295/.315 hitter in 134 career games with the Pirates. Offensively, you won’t get much, if any, power from Delay, but he will occasionally walk and has hit left-handed pitching a little better as shown by a career .254/.315/.343 slash line against them. Defensively, he has allowed 87 stolen bases during his time in the majors and thrown out just 16 potential base stealers, though he has yet to allow a passed ball. Delay is meant to work with the pitchers and catchers in Worcester, and should an injury occur in Boston, would be the first backstop added to the roster barring any other moves this offseason.

Backup: Nathan Hickey (128 games, .234/.325/.408 .733 OPS, 23 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 17 HR, 75 RBIs)

Listing Hickey as a catcher at this point is due is more necessity than reality. Hickey, who was drafted as a catcher, appeared behind the plate in just four games in 2025 after appearing there in just 47 games the season prior. Defensively, he’s only caught around 10% of base stealers. He’s now more of a first baseman than a backstop, but can still catch if needed despite a below-average arm and trouble blocking pitches in the dirt. Offensively, he has good raw power but swings-and-misses a bit. Hickey also is patient and knows the strike zone well. If he makes it to Boston, it'll likely be as a DH or first base option rather than a catcher.

Emergency catcher: Enderso Lira (6 games [AA Portland Sea Dogs/AAA Worcester Red Sox], .154/.313/.385 .698 OPS, 1 HR, 2 RBIs)

Lira, who received the second-highest bonus of the Red Sox's 2021 international free agent class, barely played in 2025 as he was often bounced between Portland and Worcester to be an emergency body on the roster. Offensively, there isn’t much to write home about as he has a short, direct swing and knows the strike zone well but has next-to-no power. Defensively, he is solid behind the plate and has an above-average arm that has a chance to improve as he grows older.

Double-A Portland

Starter: Brooks Brannon (93 games [A+ Greenville Drive/AA Portland Sea Dogs], .251/.308/.393 .701 OPS, 16 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 10 HRs, 47 RBIs)

Brannon, who was drafted in 2022, finally stayed healthy enough to showcase the talents that had the Red Sox originally interested in him after his first two seasons were cut short due to injuries. Despite appearing in 93 games, he only caught in 49 of them and saw time at first base and designated hitter. Defensively, he’s got good receiving skills behind the plate but is still learning how to frame and call games. He will also struggle with blocking pitches in the dirt but has an above-average arm. Offensively, he is able to generate impressive bat speed but will need to improve swing decisions. His power, however, is real, and when he does make contact, the ball is hit hard. It could be his carrying tool to the majors.

Backup: Ronald Rosario (98 games, .201/.278/.321 .599 OPS, 10 2Bs, 11 HRs, 56 RBIs)

Rosario, who is Rule 5 Draft eligible this offseason, signed with the Red Sox in July of 2019 and made his Double-A debut in 2025 after ending the 2024 season on Portland’s development list. Rosario is aggressive at the plate and has yet to work counts on a frequent basis. He also seems to struggle against velocity, as most of his damage has been against fastballs in the low-90s or slower. Defensively, he appears to move well but can be error-prone when fielding the ball behind the dish.