Something’s up with Carlos Narváez.
The Red Sox catcher was benched on Wednesday for undisclosed reasons, and his manager’s answer as to why was cagey to say the least.
“I just made a change,” Alex Cora told reporters. “I talked to Carlos a little bit and we move on from there. So, it’s one of those that I felt like we needed to make the change in the lineup. And I think it’s for the best.”
Cora wouldn’t say for sure when asked if it was for disciplinary reasons.
“Let’s keep it between me and Carlos,” Cora said. “And he understands. This is something that happens on every club. It just happens to be early in the season, and I think it’s the right thing to do.”
Narváez, 27, is in his second season in Boston, having hit .241/.306/.419 with 15 home runs and 50 RBIs across 118 games last season.
He played in three of the Red Sox’ six games heading into Wednesday, getting four hits in nine at-bats.
The Venezuela native spent nine years in the Yankees organization after signing with the franchise in 2015, playing 497 minor league games from 2016-24.
He debuted in July 2024 after starting backstop Jose Trevino went down with an injury, going 3-for-13 during his brief six-game stint in pinstripes.
Narváez was then dealt to Boston before that deadline for righty prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and international bonus pool space.
He became a bit of a Yankee-killer in 2025, having hit a go-ahead three-run homer during the Red Sox’ June 8 win over their bitter rivals.
Six days later, Narváez hit a walk-off single after throwing out Anthony Volpe on the bases earlier in the frame.
