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3 Players on the Red Sox’ 40-Man Roster Who Don’t Deserve a Role in 2024

By Devon Platana

Sep 15, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox third baseman Luis Urias (17) kneels on the field after being hit in the leg against the Toronto Blue Jays during the eighth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 15, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox third baseman Luis Urias (17) kneels on the field after being hit in the leg against the Toronto Blue Jays during the eighth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports /
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1. Connor Wong

Don’t get me wrong: I like Connor Wong. He’s been one of the Red Sox’s few bright spots this season, breaking out at the age of 27 with 9 homers and 36 RBIs while slashing .245/.299/.406 across 376 plate appearances.

Although he’s far from the worst catcher in the majors, there are several reasons to move on from the former 2017 third-rounder, too.

Offensively, Wong lacks discipline. His 120 strikeouts only trail Triston Casas (126) on the team, which is concerning seeing as how Casas has seen 126 more plate appearances.

Furthermore, his 31.9% strikeout rate isn’t only higher than last year’s mark (28.6%) but it’s also significantly above the MLB average (22.8%).

Defensively, there’s a lot of room for improvement. Heading into September’s final weeks, Wong ranks as follows when it comes to catchers:

  • Errors committed: 11 (1st)
  • Passed balls: 6 (4th)
  • Stolen bases allowed: 64 (5th)

Boston can’t compete consistently as long as those issues continue. The good news is that this year’s free-agent class is littered with veteran catchers, including names like Gary Sanchez, Mitch Garver, Martin Maldonado and Yasmani Grandal.

In other words, if the Red Sox want to move on from Wong (as they should), we have viable options this winter.

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