Red Sox signs veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal to minor-league contract: Report

The Boston Red Sox have added a veteran catcher to their lineup with considerable experience. It’s one of those strategic moves that specifically comes at a time when the Sox are kind of up against it in trying to compile a serviceable catching corps.
Yasmani Grandal joins Red Sox to help with catching depthOn April 10, 2025, to strengthen their catching depth, they later assigned him to the minors. Six teams boast of having hosted Yasmani Grandal in previous MLB stints; for the 2024 season, it's been the Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Yasmani Grandal played 72 games for the Pirates in the 2024 season, batting .228 with nine home runs and 27 RBIs. Total RBIs batted in all these games - he hit 27 RBIs on the year.

Yasmani Grandal signs a minor-league contract with Boston pic.twitter.com/As3zyTUa07

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 10, 2025

There's also the fact that he was actually at some point in time involved with the Red Sox when Boston drafted him in the 27th round of the 2007 MLB Draft but he chose to attend University of Miami and subsequently got drafted 12th overall by the Reds in the 2010 MLB Draft.
Connor Wong’s injury leads to changes in Red Sox lineupThe decision to sign Yasmani Grandal was based on the injury of Red Sox starting catcher Connor Wong (April 7, 2025, vs. the Toronto Blue Jays in Fenway Park), who sustained a fracture in his left pinkie finger during a collision with George Springer during a catcher’s interference case. Wong was placed on the 10-day injured list with an unrestricted roster, effectively leaving him without a catcher.

To compensate, the Red Sox have relied on rookie Carlos Narváez (who has started each of the past two games) to take the mound and have pulled in Blake Sabol from Triple-A Worcester for additional support, adding Yasmani Grandal, a veteran , to help navigate this uncertain patch of play.

In a sign of how well the club is functioning under its roster crisis, Manager Alex Cora has tasked Yasmani Grandal with "We trust Yasmani to bring not only his experience but also his work ethic to our squad," meaning bringing the 33-year-old international not only to the squad but also to play in it.

As the Red Sox continue their season, what happens with Yasmani Grandal's integration into the mix will be closely watched and an expectation will be that his experience will help in both leadership roles as well as behind the game.


Also Read: Alex Bregman’s Contract With Red Sox - Exploring Timeline, Career Earnings And Everything Else