BOSTON -- When Connor Wong sustained a left pinkie fracture on catcher¡¯s interference on Monday night, it stood to reason that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow would bolster the club¡¯s catching depth.
And that¡¯s what happened on Thursday, as a source told MLB.com that the Red Sox have agreed to a Minor League deal with two-time All-Star Yasmani Grandal. The club has not confirmed.
Somewhat surprisingly, Grandal went unsigned as a free agent this past offseason. He is expected to report to Triple-A Worcester.
The Red Sox are currently filling the void left by Wong with strong defender Carlos Narvaez getting most of the playing time behind the plate.
Blake Sabol, who played 122 games with the Giants over three years, was called up from Worcester on Tuesday -- the same day Wong went on the 10-day injured list -- to be the backup.
It stands to reason that the switch-hitting Grandal will join the club once he¡¯s ready to help bridge the gap until Wong returns.
Grandal, 36, appeared in 72 games last season for the Pirates, posting a .704 OPS with nine home runs while starting 62 games at catcher. The 13-year MLB veteran owns a .769 career OPS and has spent time with five teams.
There was a time Grandal was one of the best power-hitting catchers in the game. From 2016-19, he mashed at least 22 homers each season. Grandal came back with 23 long balls in ¡®21, but his production tailed off the last three seasons.
The Red Sox have a minor degree of familiarity with Grandal: They drafted him out of high school in the 27th round of the 2007 MLB Draft. But Grandal instead elected to attend the University of Miami, after which he was selected by the Reds with the 12th overall pick in the 2010 Draft.
In addition to Grandal, Boston¡¯s catching depth at Triple-A includes 31-year-old Seby Zavala, who appeared in 18 games last year with the Mariners. The Red Sox traded Kyle Teel -- the third-best catching prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline -- in an offseason deal to acquire ace Garrett Crochet.