Story by
Yasmani Grandal makes call on Red Sox’ future, but for how long?
- Story by
- Yasmani Grandal makes call on Red Sox’ future, but for how long?
Veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal has the ability to opt out of his minor league deal with the Red Sox on Thursday , but instead he plans to stay put at Triple-A Worcester.
Grandal will not exercise his May 1 opt-out and will instead remain with the WooSox in an effort to get more at-bats over the next couple weeks, according to an industry source. The 36-year-old has only appeared in seven games (29 plate appearances) since signing with Boston in mid-April. Other teams have expressed interest in Grandal, according to a source, but his comfort with Red Sox personnel informed his decision to stick it out with the organization for the time being. It's believed the Red Sox would be amenable to granting Grandal his release at any time if the right opportunity presented itself with another club in the majors.
Advertisement
The Red Sox signed Grandal, a two-time All-Star, shortly after starting catcher Connor Wong suffered a pinky fracture on April 7, in an effort to add depth to their catching mix . With Wong due back any day — a recovery that has been somewhat quicker than initially expected — and Carlos Narváez ably filling in, there does not seem to be a big league spot imminently available to Grandal, who was seen as a potential upgrade in the backup spot over Blake Sabol for as long as Wong was out. It's expected Sabol will be optioned back to Worcester when Wong is activated with Wong and Narváez participating in a timeshare for the Red Sox .
Grandal has hit .250 (6-for-24) with a homer, three doubles and an .879 OPS for Worcester. The former White Sox and Dodger has not played on back-to-back days and has been dealing with some soreness, according to manager Alex Cora, after not remaining unsigned through spring training.
More Red Sox coverage
Read the original article on MassLive .
