Injuries are the most unwelcome news a Major League Baseball team can receive during spring training, so Boston Red Sox fans could be forgiven for panicking a little bit when their squad's starting catcher was ruled out on Tuesday.
Carlos Narváez, who claimed Boston's catching gig with an excellent rookie season last year, was scheduled to bat sixth and serve as the designated hitter on Tuesday in the Red Sox's exhibition game against Team Puerto Rico. But a few hours before gametime, Narváez was scratched and replaced by Nathan Hickey.
The Red Sox can ill afford to worry about Narváez's status for opening day on March 26, but it seems as though that won't be a concern. According to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe, Narváez said Tuesday that he expects to return to the lineup and handle the catching duties on Wednesday.
"Why Carlos Narvaez was scratched: He had a back spasm yesterday, he said, so he is out of the lineup today to rest. He said he plans to catch tomorrow against the (New York) Yankees," wrote Healey.
Narváez had a partially torn meniscus that he played through for the entire second half of last season, so the Red Sox had reason to be careful with him this spring from the jump. Even if Narváez is back in the lineup on Wednesday, this storyline is worth monitoring for a few days to make sure there's no lingering issue.
Connor Wong is slated to be Narváez's backup for the second year in a row, but if either misses time due to injury, non-roster invitees Jason Delay and Matt Thaiss figure to be at the top of the Triple-A depth chart.