Red Sox acquire catcher Carlos Narvaez from New York Yankees

BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox today acquired catcher Carlos Narvaez from the New York Yankees, in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and international bonus pool space.

To make room on the 40-man roster, Boston designated infielder/outfielder Enmanuel Valdez for assignment.

Narvaez, 26, made his Major League debut for New York in 2024, making four starts as the catcher and going 3-for-13 (.231) in six games. The right-handed hitter also played in 96 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, batting .254 (85-for-335) with 20 doubles, 11 home runs, and 58 RBI while making 58 starts as the catcher, 23 as the designated hitter, and 12 at first base. The Venezuela native was originally signed by the Yankees as an international free agent on July 2, 2015.

Rodriguez-Cruz, 21, was selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft. He has posted a 2.60 ERA (53 ER/183.1 IP) in 48 career minor league games (44 starts), splitting the 2024 season with Single-A Salem and High-A Greenville.

Valdez, 25, batted .214 (43-for-201) with 12 doubles and six home runs in 76 games for Boston in 2024, also playing in 50 games for Triple-A Worcester. Acquired from the Houston Astros on August 1, 2022, the Dominican Republic native has hit .235 (80-for-340) with 20 doubles and 12 home runs in 125 career Major League games, all with Boston (2023-24).

BOSTON RED SOX 40-MAN ROSTER (40)

Pitchers (24): Brayan Bello, Brennan Bernardino, Cam Booser, Aroldis Chapman, Kutter Crawford, Cooper Criswell, Garrett Crochet, Hunter Dobbins, Richard Fitts, Lucas Giolito, Luis Guerrero, Liam Hendriks, Tanner Houck, Zack Kelly, Chris Murphy, Zach Penrod, Luis Perales, Quinn Priester, Chase Shugart, Justin Slaten, Greg Weissert, Garrett Whitlock, Justin Wilson, Josh Winckowski

Catchers (2): Carlos Narvaez, Connor Wong

Infielders (5): Triston Casas, Rafael Devers, Vaughn Grissom, David Hamilton, Trevor Story

Outfielders (5): Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Jhostynxon Garcia, Rob Refsnyder, Masataka Yoshida

Infielder/Outfielders (4): Mickey Gasper, Romy Gonzalez, Ceddanne Rafaela, Nick Sogard