The Boston Red Sox seemingly don’t have to worry about Carlos Narváez missing much more time.
Yet to record a base hit in August, Narváez has sat out three of Boston’s last four games. The starting catcher missed Wednesday’s 7-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals with a knee issue.
Narváez hopes to return to the lineup soon. He said after Wednesday’s game, per the Boston Globe’s Tim Healey, that his knee simply felt sore after undergoing medical evaluations. The rookie expects to play on Friday or Saturday.
Narváez limped down the first-base line while running out a batted ball on Tuesday. Alex Cora was optimistic that he’d only need one game off before an off day, but the manager wouldn’t rule out a potential IL stint.
“It was his knee. He felt it a little bit,” Cora said before Wednesday’s game, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “He’s going through testing and all that stuff. Hopefully, he’s available Friday. We’ll stay away from him today so we can maximize tomorrow. Today, he wasn’t moving great.”
Story continues below advertisement
The knee issues come amid a prolonged slump from Narváez, who’s gone 5-for-45 with 14 strikeouts in 12 games since the All-Star break. His season slash line has plummeted from .273/.347/.439 to .248/.319/.409 during that stretch.
Narváez remains eighth in WAR among all catchers because of his excellent defense, which makes the offseason acquisition an essential contributor to Boston’s lineup. The Red Sox haven’t gotten much offense in his absence either, as Connor Wong is batting .160 with zero home runs in 119 plate appearances this season.
Boston would love to see Narváez return for a three-game road series against the San Diego Padres.
