jorge alfaro – Blogging the Red Sox

Jorge Alfaro opts out of minor-league deal with Red Sox

Veteran catcher Jorge Alfaro has opted out of his minor-league contract with the Red Sox and intends to test free agency, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. The club now has 48 hours to decide whether to block the 29-year-old backstop’s opt-out by adding him to the active roster.

Alfaro, who turns 30 later this month, joined the Red Sox on a minors pact in January after being non-tendered by the Padres last November. Though the right-handed hitter did not make Boston’s Opening Day out of spring training, he elected to remain in the organization and has since torn it up with Triple-A Worcester.

Entering Thursday, Alfaro has batted a stout .320/.366/.520 with 13 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 30 RBIs, 22 runs scored, four stolen bases, nine walks, and 43 strikeouts in 43 games (191 plate appearances) with the WooSox. Defensively, the native Colombian has allowed six passed balls and has thrown out five of 35 would-be base stealers while splitting time behind the plate with Caleb Hamilton and Ronaldo Hernandez. He has also made two starts at first base.

Despite the strong offensive performance, it does not appear as though the Red Sox are keen on adding Alfaro to their 26-man group. That being the case because they are comfortable with the tandem of Connor Wong and Reese McGuire and do not intend on carrying a third catcher at this time.

When speaking with reporters (including Cotillo) prior to Wednesday’s loss to the Reds at Fenway Park, Red Sox manager Alex Cora acknowledged that Alfaro would be a tough fit on the roster as things stand now.

“He’s swinging the bat well,” Cora said. “We’ll see where we’re at. Obviously, right now, we’re very comfortable with Reese and Wong. There’s (another) 29 teams out there. They might have a chance or not. In a selfish way, hopefully, nobody wants him. As a person and a player, I would love him to be in the big-leagues, either with us or somebody else. It’s where we’re at right now. We’re very comfortable with these two guys. I’ll repeat myself.”

As noted by Cotillo, the Red Sox will presumably wait until the 48-hour deadline to make their official decision on Alfaro. That way, they can protect themselves in the event that either Wong or McGuire suffer some sort of injury in the interim.

If Alfaro does indeed leave the organization, though, Hamilton and Hernandez would emerge as the top two catching options for the WooSox while Stephen Scott and Nathan Hickey are right behind them at Double-A Portland.

(Picture of Jorge Alfaro: Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Jorge Alfaro on not making Red Sox’ Opening Day roster: ‘I try to control what I can control and whatever happens, happens’

WORCESTER — Earlier this week, Jorge Alfaro took to Twitter to share some Monday morning motivation.

“Giving up is not an option,” Alfaro tweeted at 10:43 a.m. eastern time on Monday.

That tweet came shortly after Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced to reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) in Fort Myers that Alfaro had been reassigned to minor-league camp, meaning he did not beat out Connor Wong for the No. 2 catching spot on Boston’s Opening Day roster behind Reese McGuire.

It also meant that Alfaro was going to remain with the Red Sox and accept his assignment to Triple-A Worcester, which did not seem like a given earlier this spring.

The Red Sox initially signed Alfaro to a minor-league contract in January. The deal came with an “upward mobility” clause that would allow the 29-year-old backstop to pursue a major-league opportunity elsewhere if he was not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by a specific date.

Alfaro exercised that clause this past Saturday, triggering a 48-hour window that — to a certain extent — would determine his immediate future.

“I was pretty much chilling at my house, waiting,” Alfaro told BloggingtheRedSox.com at Polar Park on Wednesday. “I did what I’m supposed to, what I could do. I try to control what I can control and whatever happens, happens. Those things that you don’t have control over, you just have to sit down and see what the future holds for you.”

Alfaro had an impressive spring for Boston at the plate, batting .478/.520/.870 with three doubles, two home runs, six RBIs, and three runs scored in nine Grapefruit League games. Despite those gaudy numbers, though, the right-handed hitter was unable to find a better opportunity, which is why he is still a member of the Red Sox organization.

“I was happy with the job that I did,” said Alfaro. “Whatever happens, right now I’m here [in Worcester]. I can tell everyone — the fans and all my teammates — that I’m going to keep playing the same way, I’m going to bring the same energy every time, and I’m going to give my 100 percent all the time.”

Cora said Monday that it was “important in a selfish way” to keep Alfaro in the organization. As noted by MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith, the Red Sox want Alfaro to continue working on his receiving, which is something that has hindered the 6-foot-3, 230-pounder in the past.

“You want all these guys to be big-leaguers but I think to have him here, he made some strides defensively,” Cora said of Alfaro. “We’re very comfortable with it compared to last year. I think [catching instructor Jason Varitek] feels like there’s a lot of improvement, especially with the one-knee down position. This guy, he communicates well. He has a good feel with the pitching staff. It’s just a numbers game at some point. And where we’re at right now, we feel comfortable with the guys that we have and obviously comfortable with him staying in the organization.”

With the WooSox, not only will Alfaro be looking to build off his solid spring, but he will also be looking to build off a strong offseason in which he played for the Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Winter League and was named the MVP of the league’s championship series.

“When I went down there, I tried to play hard, get back that confidence you have as a player,” Alfaro explained. “I was coming off two years that were not my best years. So going down there, getting the job done, and helping the team, it means a lot. And winning MVP of the finals, I wasn’t expecting that. I was just in that league to help the team, do what I can, and improve on things.

“Just trying not to do too much,” he added. “Just use that opportunity to prove to myself that I can get back to where I was and compete when I step on the field.”

Alfaro, who turns 30 in June, has the ability opt out of his contract with the Red Sox if he is not on the major-league roster by June 1 or July 1 at the latest. For now, though, he is focused on staying present and helping his teammates in any way he can.

“Now that I’m here, my goal is to just help the team with whatever I can,” Alfaro said. “Help my teammates with whatever they need. I know I have a little experience — a couple years — in the big-leagues and I can help a lot of people. … Just go out there and compete and play hard. I think my main goal is just to stay healthy.”

(Picture of Jorge Alfaro: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox reassign Jorge Alfaro to minor-leagues, clearing way for Connor Wong to make team

In addition to optioning infielder Bobby Dalbec to Triple-A Worcester on Monday, the Red Sox also reassigned catcher Jorge Alfaro to minor-league camp. Put another way, Dalbec and Alfaro will start the season with the WooSox.

Alfaro signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox in January. The deal came with an invite to major-league spring training as well as an upward mobility clause that granted the 29-year-old backstop the ability to seek a big-league opportunity elsewhere if Boston did not give him one.

According to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith, though, the window for Alfaro to exercise his opt-out has now passed, meaning he will remain in the organization without occupying a spot on the 40-man roster.

In nine games with the Red Sox this spring, the right-handed hitting Alfaro went 11-for-23 (.478) at the plate with three doubles, two home runs, six RBIs, three runs scored, one walk, and six strikeouts. He also allowed one passed ball and threw out one of seven possible base stealers in the process of logging 43 innings behind the plate.

Alfaro came into camp looking to compete with Connor Wong for a spot on Boston’s Opening Day roster as the No. 2 catcher behind Reese McGuire. Though Wong missed a significant amount of time this spring with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain, Alfaro was also away from the team for about two weeks earlier this month while playing for his native Colombia in the World Baseball Classic.

Wong made his return to Boston’s lineup for the first time since March 2 in Monday’s Grapefruit League game against the Braves in Northport. He went 0-for-3 and caught seven innings. When speaking with reporters (including Smith) beforehand, Red Sox manager Alex Cora indicated that he was confident the 26-year-old would be ready for Opening Day despite the lack of at-bats he has gotten and the lack of innings caught this spring.

“If everything goes well, we’re very comfortable with him at-bats-wise,” Cora said of Wong. “He got plenty [of] behind-the-plate repetitions. If we make the decision, it’s because we’re comfortable with it.”

Wong, who turns 27 in May, is now slated to make his first Opening Day roster as a big-leaguer. The right-handed hitter is well-regarded for his defense and figures to form a tandem of sorts with the left-handed hitting McGuire to begin the season.

Alfaro, meanwhile, will report to Worcester. He has the right to opt out of his contract with the Red Sox if he is not added to the 26-man roster by June 1 or July 1 at the latest. If Alfaro does make it to Boston this season, he will receive a base salary of $2 million.

In the meantime, Alfaro will provide the Red Sox with some valuable catching depth in Worcester alongside the likes of Caleb Hamilton and Ronaldo Hernandez. Cora noted on Monday that it was important to keep Alfaro in the organization so that he could continue to work on his receiving skills.

“It’s important in a selfish way,” Cora explained. “You want all these guys to be big leaguers but I think to have him here, he made some strides defensively. We’re very comfortable with it compared to last year. I think [catching instructor Jason Varitek] feels like there’s a lot of improvement, especially with the one-knee down position.

“This guy, he communicates well,” added Cora. “He has a good feel with the pitching staff. It’s just a numbers game at some point. And where we’re at right now, we feel comfortable with the guys that we have and obviously comfortable with him staying in the organization.”

By optioning Dalbec and reassigning Alfaro to minor-league camp, the Red Sox have 36 players remaining on their major-league spring training roster. Three of those players (Raimel Tapia, Greg Allen, and Niko Goodrum) are in camp as non-roster invitees. Seven others (Brayan Bello, Wyatt Mills, James Paxton, Joely Rodriguez, Garrett Whitlock, Adalberto Mondesi, and Trevor Story) are expected to start the season on the injured list. Story is already on the 60-day injured list, so he does not count against the 40-man roster.

(Picture of Jorge Alfaro: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Bobby Dalbec, Ronaldo Hernández, and Jorge Alfaro all hit two-run homers as Red Sox hold on for 7-4 win over Pirates

The Red Sox put an end to their three-game losing streak with a win over the Pirates in Bradenton on Thursday afternoon. Boston defeated Pittsburgh by a final score of 7-4 at LECOM Park to improve to 13-10-4 in Grapefruit League play.

Right out of the gate, Bobby Dalbec provided the Sox with an early two-run lead in the top of the first inning. Following a one-out double from Triston Casas, Dalbec took 1-2, 84 mph curveball from Pirates opener Duane Underwood Jr. and deposited it 409 feet to deep left field for his second home run of the spring.

Dalbec’s blast gave Josh Winckowski a two-run cushion to work with ahead of his third start and fourth overall appearance of the spring. The right-hander pitched well on Thursday, allowing just two earned runs on five hits and no walks to go along with two strikeouts over four innings of work.

Both of those Pirates runs came in the latter half of the second inning. After giving up a one-out single to Ke’Bryan Hayes, Winckowski yielded an RBI double to Canaan Smith-Njigba that Hayes scored all the way from first base on. Smith-Njigba was then driven in on a then-game-tying RBI single from Ji Hwan Bae. Jarren Duran fielded Bae’s single cleanly in center field and made an accurate throw towards home plate, but catcher Jorge Alfaro was unable to land a tag on Smith-Njigba.

Despite getting relatively hit hard in the second, Winckowski settled in retired six of the final seven batters he faced. He received some significant defensive help from second baseman Nick Yorke, who hustled out to right field to rob Carlos Santana of a base hit and then, from his knees, made a strong throw to first base to double up Bryan Reynolds for the final two outs of the third.

Winckowski made quick work of the Pirates in the fourth to end his day on a strong note. The 24-year-old hurler finished with a final pitch count of 55 (39 strikes). He induced two swings-and-misses while mixing in a slider, sinker, cutter, changeup, and four-seam fastball, per Baseball Savant.

Shortly after Winckowski recorded the final out of the fourth, the Red Sox struck again in the fifth. This time, former Pirates outfielder Greg Allen reached base on a one-out double off Johan Oviedo before Ronaldo Hernandez crushed another two-run homer to left field, making it a 4-2 game in favor of Boston.

Following a scoreless bottom of the fifth from Richard Bleier, Daniel Palka drew a leadoff walk off Chase De Jong to begin things in the sixth. Jorge Alfaro then unloaded on a 2-2, 83 mph slider from De Jong and sent it 408 feet into the left field seats. Alfaro’s second big fly of the spring left his bat at a blistering 105.1 mph. It also gave the Red Sox a 6-2 lead.

From there, Ryan Brasier and Ryan Sherriff combined for two more shutout frames out of the Boston bullpen. In the top of the eighth, Allen picked up an RBI by driving in Caleb Hamilton on a sacrifice fly to center field. The Pirates responded by tagging Luis Guerrero for two runs in their half of the inning. Both of those runs came on a two-run shot from Rodolfo Castro to cut the deficit to three.

Taking a 7-4 edge into the ninth, Joe Jacques worked his way around a walk and hit batsman by striking out the side to simultaneously notch the save and secure a win for the Red Sox.

Casas doubles twice in return:

After missing the last two games with a swollen left pinky, Triston Casas went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored out of the two-hole on Thursday. The two doubles left his bat at 107.8 mph and 80.1 mph, respectively.

Next up: Pivetta makes final start of spring

The Red Sox will return to Fort Myers on Friday night to host the Braves. Right-hander Nick Pivetta will make his final start of the spring for Boston opposite Atlanta left-hander Dylan Dodd.

First pitch from JetBlue Park is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Bobby Dalbec: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Chris Sale hurls two scoreless innings in spring debut as Red Sox roll past Tigers in 7-1 win

Powered by a four-run first inning, the Red Sox continued their winning ways this spring by taking care of business against the Tigers on Monday. Boston defeated Detroit by a final score of 7-1 at JetBlue Park to remain unbeaten and improve to 7-0-3 in Grapefruit League play.

Despite the strong showing from the lineup out of the gate, Chris Sale was undoubtedly the headliner in Monday’s win. Making his first start of the spring and his first start of any kind since last July, the veteran left-hander scattered two hits and zero walks to go along with two strikeouts over two scoreless innings of work.

Sale began his day by giving up a leadoff single to Matt Vierling to begin things in the top of the first. He then got Riley Greene to ground into a force out at second base before getting Javier Baez to fly out to center field. Greene successfully stole second to put a runner in scoring position with two outs, but Sale stranded him there by fanning Eric Haase.

In the bottom of the first, the first three Red Sox hitters to face Tigers starter Matt Manning all reached to fill the bases with no outs. Adam Duvall then plated his side’s first run on a sacrifice fly to center and Raimel Tapia followed by lacing an RBI ground-rule double into the triangle. Jorge Alfaro capped off the four-run frame by scoring both Niko Kavadas and Tapia on a two-run single that was misplayed by Greene in right.

Taking a 4-0 lead into the second, Sale picked up where he left off by nonchalantly recording the first two outs of the inning. He then gave up a two-out single to Zach Short, but ended the frame himself by getting Nick Maton to ground out to him in front of the pitcher’s mound.

All told, 24 of the 31 pitches Sale threw on Monday went for strikes. The 33-year-old southpaw retired six of the eight batters he faced and reached 95-96 mph with his fastball, according to the JetBlue Park radar gun.

In relief of Sale, Ryan Brasier got the first call out of the Boston bullpen and worked his way around a one-out walk of Vierling in the top of the third. The Red Sox then added to their lead in the latter half of the inning when Tapia took Tigers reliever Brendan White deep to right field for his first home run of the spring.

After Brasier got the first two outs of the fourth, Taylor Broadway took over and tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings of his own through the middle of the fifth. Zack Kelly saw the shutout bid come to an end when he served up a leadoff homer to Greene in the sixth, but the Red Sox quickly responded by pushing across two more runs.

Niko Goodrum reached base on a two-out single off Mason Englert and promptly scored all the way from first on an RBI double off the bat of Kavadas. Fellow 2021 draftee Tyler McDonough followed that up by driving in Kavadas and simultaneously displaying his speed on a run-scoring triple off the center field wall.

That sequence of events gave the Red Sox a commanding 7-1 lead going into the seventh. Three different relievers kept the score that way as Jake Faria struck out two of the three Tigers he faced, Durbin Feltman maneuvered his way around a two-out walk, in an otherwise clean eighth inning, and Norwith Gudino stranded two runners by punching out the side in the ninth.

Turner’s scare:

Before the Red Sox mounted their four-run rally in the first inning, a scary moment arose while Justin Turner was at the plate for his first at-bat of the afternoon. On the first pitch he saw from Manning, Turner took a fastball to the face and fell down immediately with blood spewing from his mouth.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora and head athletic trainer Brandon Henry immediately tended to Turner, who was conscious and left the field under his own power while holding a towel to his face. The 38-year-old was transported to a local hospital in Fort Myers and was replaced at first base by Kavadas.

Other observations:

Alfaro and Tapia combined to go 5-for-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored in Monday’s contest, which took two hours and 31 minutes to complete. The two non-roster invitees are hitting .700 (7-for-10) and .412 (7-for-17) this spring, respectively.

Next up: Houck looks to rebound

The Red Sox will travel to North Port to take on the Braves at CoolToday Park on Tuesday evening. Right-hander Tanner Houck is slated to make his second start of the spring for Boston while left-hander Jared Shuster will take the mound for Atlanta.

First pitch on Tuesday is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. eastern time on NESN.

(Picture of Chris Sale: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Jorge Alfaro has unique clause in contract that could make him available to all other teams later this month

Red Sox catcher Jorge Alfaro has a unique clause in his contract that could complicate his future with the club, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.

Alfaro signed a minor-league contract with the Red Sox in January that came with an invite to major-league spring training. It has since been revealed that the deal also comes with an “upward mobility” clause that would go into effect on March 25.

As noted by Cotillo, this differs from a standard opt-out. It instead allows Alfaro to secure a major-league opportunity elsewhere if the Red Sox are not willing to give him one. If Alfaro is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by March 25, he can request to become available to all 29 other teams in hopes of landing a big-league job.

If another club is interested in Alfaro, the Red Sox would then have 72 hours to either add Alfaro to their own 40-man roster or allow him to switch teams. If no other club is interested in Alfaro at the time of his request, Boston would be able to keep the 29-year-old without committing a 40-man roster spot to him.

Alfaro will soon be leaving Red Sox camp in Fort Myers to play for Team Colombia in the World Baseball Classic. The Sincelejo native has appeared in two Grapefruit League games so far this spring and has gone 3-for-6 (.500) with one double and two strikeouts.

After deciding against signing or trading for a catcher on a major-league deal this winter, the Red Sox brought in Alfaro as a non-roster invitee. The right-handed hitter is currently competing with Reese McGuire and Connor Wong for a spot on the club’s Opening Day roster. Because Alfaro can play first base and serve as a designated hitter, Boston could very well carry all three backstops on its 26-man roster come March 30.

More likely than not, though, the Red Sox will elect to carry the left-handed hitting McGuire and one of Alfaro and Wong, who both hit from the right side of the plate. Wong, who suffered a left hamstring strain in Thursday’s 15-3 win over the Phillies, also has one minor-league option remaining, meaning he can be shuttled between Triple-A Worcester and Boston up to five times this season. The same cannot be said for Alfaro, who is out of options.

A veteran of seven major-league seasons between the Phillies, Marlins, and Padres, Alfaro possesses intriguing power, athleticism, arm strength, and speed. With San Diego last year, he ranked in the 97th percentile of all big-leaguers in max exit velocity (115.2 mph), the 96th percentile in average pop time to second base (1.89 second), and the 85th percentile in average sprint speed (28.7 feet per second), per Baseball Savant.

On the other side of the coin, though, Alfaro does own a rather high career strikeout rate of 34.1 percent to go along with a career walk rate of just 4.2 percent. The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder has also had his issues as a receiver after leading the National League in passed balls in each of the last two seasons.

Alfaro, who does not turn 30 until June, will have the next three-plus weeks to determine what his immediate future looks like. That being said, Wong’s status moving forward could impact his decision. Additionally, depending on how things play out in spring games (and in the World Baseball Classic) Alfaro could draw interest from catcher-needy teams who would be willing to guarantee him a roster spot. If that happens, the Red Sox would then have to decide to either add Alfaro to their own roster or let him go.

If Alfaro remains with Boston past March 25 without being added to the big-league roster, he would have the ability to opt out of his deal on June 1 and July 1 in order to test free agency. If Alfaro is in the majors with the Red Sox at some point this season, he would earn a base salary of $2 million.

(Picture of Jorge Alfaro: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox catcher Connor Wong suffers left hamstring strain; ‘It doesn’t look great right now,’ Alex Cora says

UPDATE: Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne) on Friday that catcher Connor Wong has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain in his left hamstring.

“We’ll see how it goes. I think treatment will determine what’s next,” Cora said of Wong’s prognosis. “We have to calm him down first and then we’ll know more throughout the week.”

—

Red Sox catcher Connor Wong suffered a strained left hamstring in the fifth inning of Thursday’s 15-3 win over the Phillies at JetBlue Park.

Wong entered the game in the top of the fifth as a defensive replacement for fellow backstop Jorge Alfaro. The right-handed hitter got one at-bat in the latter half of the frame, but he strained his left hamstring while trying to beat out a grounder to shortstop. He was then replaced at catcher by Elih Marrero in the sixth.

When speaking with reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne) on Thursday afternoon, Red Sox manager Alex Cora indicated that Wong would undergo further testing and that the club would know more about the 26-year-old’s status on Friday.

“We’ll know tomorrow,” Cora said. “He’s tight. It doesn’t look great right now, but hopefully we get better news tomorrow morning.”

Wong, who turns in 27 in May, is one of two catchers on Boston’s 40-man roster alongside Reese McGuire. Rather than go and out add a backstop to the major-league roster this winter, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom elected to sign Jorge Alfaro to a minor-league deal in January. Since both Wong and Alfaro hit from the right side of the plate, the two were expected to compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster as a complement to the left-handed hitting McGuire.

While Wong has one minor-league option remaining, Alfaro does not. Furthermore, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reported on Thursday that Alfaro has an upward mobility clause in his contract that requires the Red Sox to either add him to their big-league roster by March 25 or let him go to another club that has interest in putting him on its 40-man roster.

Wong is coming off a 2022 season in which be batted .188/.273/.313 with three doubles, one home run, seven RBIs, eight runs scored, five walks, and 16 strikeouts in 27 games (56 plate appearances) with the Red Sox. He also threw out three of 21 base stealers from behind the plate.

As noted by Cotillo, Wong appeared to have an inside track on making Boston’s Opening Day roster coming into camp last month. If this strained left hamstring results in him missing a significant amount of time, that could complicate matters. In that scenario, Alfaro would be the favorite to make the roster in Wong’s place, though the 29-year-old will be away from the team for some time as he prepares to play for his native Colombia in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

If Wong only sustains a minor setback as a result of this injury, the Red Sox could still elect three catchers on their Opening Day roster since Alfaro offers some versatility as a designated hitter and as a first baseman.

(Picture of Connor Wong: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Jorge Alfaro arrives at Red Sox camp after being delayed by visa issues

After initially being delayed by visa issues, catcher Jorge Alfaro reported to Red Sox camp in Fort Myers, Fla. on Sunday.

Alfaro, donning the No. 38 at the Fenway South complex, signed a minor-league contract with Boston last month. The deal came with an invite to major-league spring training as well as a $2 million salary if the 29-year-old backstop cracks the Sox’ big-league roster this season.

“He’s got to catch up now,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith) on Sunday. “He’s a week behind and there’s a lot of work defensively that he needs. And [catching coach Jason Varitek] is on top of that.”

Prior to signing a minors pact with the Red Sox, Alfaro spent his offseason playing for the Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Winter League. The right-handed hitter appeared in just six regular season games for Licey but turned it up a notch in the postseason en route to being named MVP of the league’s championship series.

“He had a good winter,” said Cora. “He did a lot of good things for Licey offensively. “But defensively, there’s a few things that we recognize that he needs to start doing. We’ll see where we’re at.”

With the Padres last season, Alfaro batted .246/.285/.383 with 14 doubles, seven home runs, 40 RBIs, 25 runs scored, one stolen base, 11 walks, and 98 strikeouts over 274 plate appearances. He also averaged a velocity of 89.4 mph on the balls he put in play while ranking in the 97th percentile of all major-leaguers in max exit velocity (115.2 mph), per Baseball Savant.

Defensively, Alfaro logged 530 2/3 innings behind the plate in 2022. The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder threw out just five of 30 possible base stealers while allowing a league-leading seven passed balls. That being said, he also ranked in the 94th percentile when it came to average pop time to second base (1.89 seconds) and has well-regarded for his arm strength in the past.

Over the next several weeks, Alfaro will be competing for a spot on Boston’s Opening Day roster. As currently constructed, Reese McGuire and Connor Wong are the only two catchers on the club’s 40-man roster. Since McGuire hits from the left side of the plate, he seems like a lock to make the team. Wong and Alfaro, meanwhile, are both right-handed hitters, so there could be more of a competition between the two. It also helps that unlike Alfaro and McGuire, Wong still has one minor-league option remaining.

Of course, Alfaro is still at somewhat of a disadvantage since he will soon be temporarily leaving camp to play for his native Colombia in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Once he returns from the tournament, he will have a limited amount of time to work with Varitek and other Red Sox coaches before Opening Day arrives next month.

“He’s going to the tournament, too,” Cora said of Alfaro this past Friday. “It’s kind of like a small window for him to work with Jason, which is very important. But he should be OK.”

If Alfaro fails to break camp with the Red Sox and presumably accepts his assignment to Triple-A Worcester, he will have the ability to opt out of his contract and return to free agency if he is not called up by June 1 or July 1 at the latest.

(Picture of Jose Alfaro: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox’ Jorge Alfaro not yet at camp due to visa issues

Jorge Alfaro has yet to report to Red Sox camp in Fort Myers. The veteran catcher is currently dealing with visa issues, manager Alex Cora told reporters (including MLB.com’s Ian Browne) on Friday.

Alfaro was signed to a minor-league contract last month. The deal came with an invite to spring training as well as a $2 million salary if the 29-year-old backstop cracks Boston’s big-league roster this season.

“He’s not here yet,” Cora said at JetBlue Park. “But we found a few things defensively that we can help him to get better. He has a cannon and obviously, he’s a good athlete. He hits the ball hard.”

Last season with the Padres, Alfaro batted .246/.285/.383 with 14 doubles, seven home runs, 40 RBIs, 25 runs scored, one stolen base, 11 walks, and 98 strikeouts over 274 plate appearances. The right-handed hitter also averaged 89.4 mph on the balls he put in play while ranking in the 97th percentile of all major-leaguers in max exit velocity (115.2 mph), per Baseball Savant.

Alfaro spent his winter in the Dominican Republic playing for the Tigres del Licey. He appeared in just six regular season LIDOM games for Licey but turned it up a notch afterwards by posting a 1.105 OPS in the round-robin portion of the playoffs and hitting .421 (8-for-19) with two home runs in the championship series that he was named MVP of.

“He had a great winter down there in the Dominican Republic,” said Cora. “Just hoping that he gets here.”

Alfaro is now slated to play for his native Colombia in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. As such, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound backstop will have a limited amount of time to work with Jason Varitek and other members of the Red Sox coaching staff before Opening Day arrives next month.

“He’s going to the tournament, too,” Cora said in reference to the WBC. “It’s kind of like a small window for him to work with Jason, which is very important. But he should be OK.”

Once he does arrive at the Fenway South complex, Alfaro figures to compete with Connor Wong — who also hits from the right side of the plate — for a spot on Boston’s Opening Day roster as the No. 2 catcher behind the left-handed hitting Reese McGuire. For what it’s worth, Alfaro and McGuire are both out of minor-league options while Wong has one remaining.

If Alfaro fails to break camp with the Red Sox and accepts his assignment to Triple-A Worcester, he will have the ability to opt out of his deal and return to free agency if he is not called up by June 1 or July 1 at the latest.

(Picture of Jorge Alfaro: Denis Poroy/Getty Images)

Rumored Red Sox target Roberto Pérez signs minor-league deal with Giants

Free agent catcher Roberto Perez has signed a minor-league contract with the Giants, the club announced Saturday. Perez will be at major-league spring training and will have the chance to earn $2.5 million with another $1.5 million available in incentives if he makes San Francisco’s active roster.

As was first reported by MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, the Giants agreed to a deal with Perez last Sunday. The Red Sox made an aggressive bid for Perez, per Cotillo, and were even in consideration at the end, but the veteran backstop ultimately thought San Francisco represented a better fit.

Perez, a veteran of nine major-league seasons, was limited to just 21 games with the Pirates last year due to a right hamstring injury that ultimately required season-ending surgery in May. The right-handed hitter batted .233/.333/.367 with two home runs and eight RBIs across 69 plate appearances before his one-year contract with Pittsburgh expired in November.

While offense has never been Perez’s strong suit, he is still regarded as one of the top defensive catchers in baseball. During an eight-year (2014-2021) run in Cleveland, the native Puerto Rican was named the Wilson Overall Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 and won back-to-back Gold Glove Awards in 2019 and 2020.

To counter a lackluster career OPS of .658, Perez Perez has thrown out 97 of 248 potential base stealers in his big-league career. The 5-foot-11, 220-pounder has accrued 79 Defensive Runs Saved in 4,052 1/3 innings behind the plate. He has also been among the game’s top pitch framers since Statcast first began tracking that data in 2015.

The Giants, at present, have just one catcher on their 40-man roster in Joey Bart. They also acquired versatile catching prospect Blake Sabol from the Reds in December’s Rule 5 Draft and have Austin Wynns slated to compete for a roster spot in spring training.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, have two catchers — Reese McGuire and Connor Wong — on their 40-man roster. They also have Caleb Hamilton and Ronaldo Hernandez, who were both outrighted earlier this winter, and minor-league signee Jorge Alfaro set to join them at big-league camp in Fort Myers later this month.

In all likelihood, Perez likely viewed his chances of making San Francisco’s Opening Day roster out of spring training more favorably, which is why he elected to sign a minors pact with the Giants over the Red Sox. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom addressed this very topic and the potential catching competition as a whole when speaking with Cotillo on The Fenway Rundown podcast last week.

“[Perez] saw a better opportunity out there and that’s OK,” Bloom said. “We’ve been talking about this all along. The two guys that finished the season for us in the big-leagues (McGuire and Wong), we really like. At the same time, we recognize that neither of them have carried this load at the major-league level before. They both have things to prove and experience they don’t have under their belts, so it made sense to add someone who’s decisively a frontline catcher or someone who can create competition in that mix.

“Alfaro’s really intriguing,” added Bloom. “Always has been in terms of what he brings to the table. Just having some of the loudest tools and the best physical ability. Somebody we feel we can help. [Jason Varitek] got pretty excited about the possibility of working with someone who has that kind of ability and creating some competition there.

“So, we’ll see how it goes,” he said. “Again, these other two guys have had a bit of a head start in working with our pitchers, working with our staff, and really understanding what we expect on a daily basis. And that means something. But, we wouldn’t have brought Alfaro in without wanting to see what he could do and seeing where this goes.”

(Picture of Roberto Perez: Justin Berl/Getty Images)