The Red Sox added catching depth on Wednesday when they acquired Blake Sabol from the Giants in exchange for international bonus pool space.

The move coincided with the first day of the international signing period and will allow San Francisco to spend more on the international front. Boston cleared room for Sabol on its 40-man roster by designating right-hander Chase Shugart for assignment.

Sabol becomes the third catcher on Boston¡¯s 40-man roster, joining returning starter Connor Wong and Carlos Narvaez, who was in the running to serve as the backup after coming over in a trade with the Yankees on Dec. 11. Now Sabol will provide Narvaez with competition once pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training ahead of the first workout in Fort Myers, Fla., on Feb. 12.

A 27-year-old with 121 games of big league experience over the past two seasons, Sabol was selected in the 2022 Rule 5 Draft by the Giants, who acquired him from the Pirates¡¯ organization. He stuck on San Francisco¡¯s roster for the entire ¡®23 season, slashing .235/.301/.394 with 10 doubles, 13 home runs and 44 RBIs in 110 games.

Sabol made a lot of good contact during his first taste of the big leagues that year, as his 11.2% barrel rate ranked in the 74th percentile in MLB, according to Baseball Savant.

In 2024, Sabol played only 11 games with the Giants, going 10-for-32 with two doubles and one RBI. He spent the majority of the season at Triple-A Sacramento, where he slashed .246/.340/.388 with 14 doubles, 11 homers and 54 RBIs in 97 games.

Although Sabol has made 53 of his 85 big league starts at catcher, he has experience in left field, where he made 32 starts in 2023. The 2019 seventh-round Draft pick has also played first base, center field and right field over his four seasons in the Minors.

Sabol has more MLB experience than the 26-year-old Narvaez, who played six games during his first two stints in the big leagues in 2024.

The Red Sox will have seven days to either trade Shugart or to place him on outright or unconditional release waivers. The 28-year-old reached the big leagues for the first time in 2024, recording a 4.15 ERA in 8 2/3 innings over six relief appearances. The ¡®18 12th-round Draft pick had a 4.46 ERA in 36 games (five starts) for Triple-A Worcester last season.