Connor Wong didn’t travel with his Boston Red Sox teammates to Cleveland. Instead, he joined their Triple-A affiliate in Worcester to continue recovering from a broken pinky finger.
Wong sustained the injury on an interference play on April 7. It was considered minor, and he is expected to be activated next week. It’s still unclear whether he’ll rejoin the team during their trip to Toronto or wait until they return to Boston next weekend to face the Minnesota Twins.
“It’s possible,” said Triple-A manager Chad Tracy when asked if Wong would play on Sunday. “I don’t know yet. I just know the big league team is on the road, so there’s a lot more he can do here at home than over there.”
Manager Alex Cora said earlier this week that Wong was expected to need some at-bats in a rehab assignment after three weeks on the injured list. He wasn’t sure how many games Wong would require, and that was still uncertain as of Friday night.
“He got a full workload,” Tracy added. “It was encouraging to see. He did everything—just like a regular player would. He did receiving drills on the field, threw to bases, caught bullpen sessions, took batting practice, and hit off the machine at full speed. I think he’s in a pretty good spot.”
In Wong’s absence, Carlos Narváez has taken over the catching duties and has done a great job. However, Cora told reporters that once Wong returns, both catchers will share playing time.
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The Red Sox were set to begin a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday, but rain forced MLB to postpone the opener. A doubleheader is now scheduled for Saturday. Meanwhile, the WooSox are also expected to be rained out on Saturday, but it’s still unclear if they will schedule a doubleheader on Sunday.
