The Boston Red Sox are adding some much-needed depth at catcher, reportedly signing former All-Star Yasmani Grandal to a minor-league deal.

The Red Sox needed to add another catcher after losing Connor Wong to a fractured finger earlier this week. Robert Murray of Fansided was first to report Boston's pact with Grandal, who played 72 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2024.

It will likely take some time for Grandal to get Major-League ready after he missed all of Spring Training. But the 36-year-old will give Boston a solid option behind the plate to back up current starting catcher Carlos Narvaez.

Who is Yasmani Grandal?

Grandal is a switch-hitting catcher with 13 seasons of professional experience, after he made his Major League debut for the San Diego Padres in 2012. He has also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox and Pirates. He was an All-Star for the Dodgers in 2015 and again for the Brewers in 2019.

The 2019 season was Grandal's best in the Majors, as he finished the year slashing .246/.380/.468 with a career-high 28 homers and 77 RBI to go along 26 doubles and 109 walks. He turned in an .848 OPS over 153 games that year. 

Grandal hit .228 with nine home runs, 10 doubles, 27 RBI and 26 runs scored over his 72 games with the Pirates last season. For his career, he's averaged 101 games played per season with a .236 average, 15 homers and 46 RBI.

Behind the plate, Grandal is known as an excellent framer, which could help a struggling Boston pitching staff. 

Grandal was actually initially drafted by Boston in the 27th round of the 2007 MLB Draft, but didn't sign with the team and ended up playing for the University of Miami. He was a first-round pick by the Cincinnati Reds in 2010, taken 12th overall.

Red Sox catching situation

Narvaez is currently Boston's everyday catcher, and the team called up Blake Sabol from Triple-A Worcester following Wong's injury on Monday. Narvaez is 6-for-25 with three doubles and four RBI in his eight games to start the season, while Sabol is 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts in his two games played.

The Red Sox also have 31-year-old veteran Seby Zavala in Worcester, who has spent parts of five seasons in the Majors with the White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Seattle Mariners. Zavala is just 3-for-25 for Worcester this season.