The Boston Red Sox are back on track with three wins in their last four outings. They'll look to keep the momentum growing when they face the Chicago White Sox on Friday, the same club that they dropped two of three matchups to at Rate Field last week.
Needless to say, the Red Sox are hoping for a better showing this time around.
As the Red Sox prepared for the upcoming series, the White Sox decided to designate one of their veteran players for assignment just over 24 hours before the first pitch. Interestingly enough, it was a player that Boston should definitely have some interest in.
Red Sox Must Claim Omar Narvaez After Being DFA'd by White Sox
The White Sox announced on Thursday afternoon that catcher Omar Narvaez has officially been designated for assignment. Chicago used the veteran backstop's now-open 40-man roster spot on top prospect Edgar Quero, who made his MLB debut against the Oakland Athletics later in the day.
White Sox Designate Omar Narvaez For Assignment https://t.co/QCMM3x17FE pic.twitter.com/u5rG4lcXXy
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) April 17, 2025
A former MLB All-Star, Narvaez is someone the Red Sox should consider claiming. Boston could use another catcher on its roster as long as Connor Wong is on the injured list with his fractured pinky finger.
It's also worth noting that Narvaez, 33, has family ties to Beantown. His cousin and fellow catcher, Carlos, joined the Red Sox over the offseason, and a family reunion might motivate the duo to play to their full potential.
The Red Sox have signed Yasmani Grandal to a minor-league deal since Wong's injury, however, the veteran catcher's future is far from certain. On Monday, MassLive's Chris Cotillo reported that manager Alex Cora made "no promises" to Grandal about eventually playing in the big leagues again.
"He’s a guy who we have had on the radar throughout the offseason," Cora said about Grandal. "It just happened now with the injury, to have another guy in Triple-A and see where it takes us. But there’s no promises."
Grandal has yet to play an MLB game this season, so the Red Sox might be more interested in the DFA'd White Sox catcher. It's a small sample size, but Narvaez was slashing .286/.400/.286 with three RBIs and two walks in his first four games (seven at-bats) with Chicago this season.
In terms of his career, the Venezuelan veteran has amassed 53 home runs, 206 RBIs, 242 walks, and a .252/.335/.373 slash line across 681 games played (2,023 ABs) with the White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, and Seattle Mariners.
After DFA'ing the catcher, the White Sox have five days to decide if they'll waive or trade Narvaez. If they go with the latter option, teams around the MLB — including the Red Sox — will have 48 hours to claim his services.
With Wong's injury and the benefits a family reunion could bring, the Red Sox have nothing to lose and everything to gain by putting in a claim for Narvaez.