The Boston Red Sox went into the MLB All-Star break as one of the hottest teams in the majors, ripping off 10-straight wins. Thanks to this winning streak, the Red Sox are only three games out of first place in the AL East and currently hold the second spot in the AL wild card.
If Boston continues to pay well for the next couple of weeks, leading up to the trade deadline, we could be putting them in the buyers category.
Until then, the Red Sox are making small roster moves at the big league and minor league levels to fill voids and bolster positional depth. On Thursday, Boston’s brass brought back a familiar face to the organization, as they desperately needed some depth at the catcher spot.
Red Sox Sign Veteran Catcher Ronaldo Hernandez to Minor League Deal
On Thursday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reported that the Red Sox signed veteran catcher Ronaldo Hernandez to a minor league pact. Cotillo adds that the 27-year-old Hernandez should be active on Friday as the Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate (Worcester) returns to action.
Hernandez, who has never played in the majors, was most recently with the New York Yankees. The Yankees signed the journeyman catcher to a minor league contract in February.
The 27-year-old Hernandez began the 2025 season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he hit .221 with two home runs and 13 RBI across 25 games. The Yankees cut ties with the 10-year minor league vet on July 4.
From there, Hernandez took his talents to the Mexican League, where he played in two games with Pericos de Puebla. However, with the Red Sox needing some catching depth after trading Blake Sabol, it made sense for the two sides to reconnect.
The Red Sox originally acquired Hernandez and Nick Sogard in the Jeffrey Springs trade from the Tampa Bay Rays in February 2021.
During his first stint with the organization between 2021-2023, Hernandez played 211 games at Triple-A and 92 at Double-A Portland. He showcased some pop in his bat, hitting 16 home runs at Double-A in 2021.
Then, in 2022 and 2023, Hernandez had two consecutive seasons with 17 home runs with the WooSox. The Red Sox kicked him off the 40-man roster following the 2022 season, which led him to sign a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks in December 2023.
Boston hopes that Hernandez can provide some stability down in Triple-A, as he continues to pursue his dream of making it to the big leagues.