When the Red Sox acquired rookie catcher Carlos Narváez in a trade from the Yankees in December of 2024, they didn’t know that he would become an All-Star caliber player in his rookie season. But he’s quietly turned into one of Boston’s best hitters and is a top defensive catcher in all of MLB.
Narváez is hitting .277 with an .797 OPS and a 2.6 WAR in 66 games this season. Here’s a look at his ranks on the team at the plate:
- 260 Plate Appearances (6th)
- .278 BA (4th)
- 64 Hits (5th)
- 35 Runs (5th)
- 28 RBI (6th)
- 7 HR (5th)
- 28 BB (2nd)
Red Sox manager Alex Cora recently said that he knew what he was getting defensively with Narváez, but turning into one of the best bats in the lineup wasn’t something he expected.
“He’s one of the best defensive catchers in the big leagues. I’d be lying to you if [I said] I thought, like, ‘oh, he’s going to be an offensive guy, he’s going to hit fourth for the Red Sox or fifth.’ But we knew that defensively he was going to be a force.”
Narváez is an elite defender and he’s risen above Connor Wong as the team’s starting catcher. He’s caught 17 steals and has 36 assists, which is tied for first in the MLB.
In a recent interview, Cora shared that because of Narváez’s success this season on both sides of the plate, he’s almost forced to play him as much as he is this season.
The 26-year-old rookie is up to 550.2 innings behind the plate this season, which ranks fifth in the MLB and is nearing his overall career-high of 565 ½ between Double A and Triple A in 2023.
“At one point, you have to play. That's how it works. And he’s been very productive. He’s one of the best defensive catchers in the big leagues. Offensively, he’s been one of our best hitters, so we have to play him.”
Last week, when Walker Buehler was struggling on the mound against Toronto, he loaded up the bases with two outs. Narváez threw out the runner on first base to bail out Buehler and end the inning.
Carlos Narváez is a sniper 👀 #RedSox https://t.co/CWfkJVaruA pic.twitter.com/H2WDz1BXB2
— Justin Trombino (@Trombino20) June 29, 2025
After that game, Cora praised his rookie catcher for being extremely aware behind the plate and knows that sometimes he needs to help the pitcher end an inning when things get out of hand.
“Very aware of the game, especially defensively- he knows sometimes that he needs to help the pitcher. Offensively he’s been solid.”
In Boston’s most recent game against Washington, starting pitcher Lucas Giolito had another stellar outing, and he gave credit to Narváez for calling a great game, saying that he didn’t shake him off at all.
“Just staying on the game plan we’ve had. Narvi was fantastic as always, I didn’t shake him one time.”
The Red Sox have team control over Narváez until 2031. He’s currently signed under a pre-arbitration contract for 2025 worth $763,500. It would be wise for Boston to make sure that Narváez doesn’t leave their organization like we’ve seen with many great players over the last handful of years.