And “the best defensive catcher in the big leagues” is in Boston.
While Connor Wong continues his rehab in Worcester, there’s no guarantee that he’ll get the majority of the reps for the Red Sox going forward. Alex Cora said, “Carlos is going to play. We’ll figure out how we’re going to do it but he’s done an amazing job. Right now he’s the best defensive catcher in the big leagues [and] he’s putting [up] good at-bats.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
It seems to be more unlikely by the day that we see Masataka Yoshida in the first half of the 2025 season. He is still experiencing soreness in his shoulder that was surgically repaired this offseason, a shoulder that needs to be functioning for Yoshida to play the outfield. “This week it hasn’t been great,” Cora said. (Christopher Smith, Mass Live)
Alex Bregman is setting the tone in the clubhouse when it comes to the pregame work that’s needed to succeed in the game, including tools that he read in a book this offseason. “I think just the process, working on it, working on the swing every single day, trusting the work, falling in love with the work before the game, and just going and having fun when I’m playing.” With his sixth home run on Tuesday night, his work shows. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)
A division rival has gotten off to a dreadful start. The Orioles are 11-18, and even though the pitching staff is in shambles (Kyle Gibson wasn’t the answer?), Dan Szymborski reviews the slow start with the bats, as well, and asks if this season can be salvaged. (Dan Szymborski, Fangraphs)
Jeff Passan reviews the MLB landscape after one month, and points out the stark disparity between the American and National leagues thus far. Passan writes, “Currently, the NL is 224-218 with a plus-69 run differential. And that’s despite the 4-25 Colorado Rockies and their -78 run differential.” (Jeff Passan, ESPN)