Report: Red Sox, Grandal agree to minor-league deal
The Boston Red Sox added some experienced catching depth Thursday, agreeing to a minor-league contract with veteran backstop Yasmani Grandal, sources told Robert Murray of FanSided.
Grandal will earn a base salary of $1.35 million if he's in the majors, a source told MassLive's Chris Cotillo. For now, he'll report to Boston's Triple-A affiliate in Worcester, per MassLive's Sean McAdam.
Grandal can opt out on May 1 if he's not in the majors by then, Cotillo reports.
The 36-year-old spent last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he hit .228/.304/.400 with nine homers and 27 RBIs over 72 games. While far from the All-Star level production of his past, it marked his best offensive season since 2021. However, he was unable to find a contract in free agency this winter, and did not participate in spring training.
Grandal brings some much-needed depth behind the plate to Boston's organization. Connor Wong, the Red Sox starting catcher, landed on the 10-day injured list this week with a fractured finger. His injury left the team with just two catchers - Blake Sabol, who was recalled Tuesday after Wong was hurt, and rookie Carlos Narváez - on both the 26-man and 40-man rosters.
In Worcester, Grandal will share time behind the plate with Seby Zavala and Enderso Lira while waiting to be called up to the majors.
Grandal is a lifetime .236/.345/.424 hitter with 194 home runs and 592 RBIs across parts of 13 big-league seasons. The native of Havana, Cuba, was an All-Star with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015, and again in 2019 with the Milwaukee Brewers.