The Red Sox are bringing catcher Ronaldo Hernández back to the organization on a minor league contract, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive. The 27-year-old was released from a minor league deal with the Yankees a couple weeks ago. He had a three-day stint in the Mexican League before returning to the affiliated ranks. He’ll report to Triple-A Worcester.
Hernández was once a highly-regarded prospect in the Tampa Bay system. The Rays dealt him to the Red Sox in advance of the 2021 season. That turned out to be a lopsided deal in Tampa Bay’s favor, as they landed Jeffrey Springs in that four-player swap. Boston also acquired infielder Nick Sogard, while the Rays picked up reliever Chris Mazza. Hernández spent a couple seasons on Boston’s 40-man roster but went through outright waivers after the ’22 campaign.
The Colombia native played the ’23 season in Worcester. He spent last year in the Arizona system and made 25 Triple-A appearances in the Yankees organization earlier this year. He hit .221 with a pair of home runs. Hernández now carries a .264/.324/.453 slash line in nearly 1200 plate appearances at the top minor league level. He has been called to the majors twice (both by the Red Sox in 2022) but hasn’t made it into a game.
Carlos Narváez and Connor Wong are Boston’s only catchers on the 40-man roster. The Sox traded depth catcher Blake Sabol to the White Sox over the weekend. Hernández backfills alongside defensive specialist Seby Zavala in Worcester. Zavala would probably be the first man up if either Narváez or Wong sustain an injury.