Connor Wong DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong (shoulder) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Sunday's Grapefruit contest. Wong is dealing with shoulder soreness, but is expected to be back in the lineup on Monday. This appears to be a minor injury, so Wong should be fine within the next day or two. The expectation is that Wong will operate as the starting catcher in Boston. Last season, Wong slashed .280/.333/.425 with 13 home runs and 52 RBI across 126 games. He has earned a chance to be the everyday catcher in Boston.

The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey writes that Boston Red Sox Connor Wong looked noticeably stronger at Fenway Fest after he spent the offseason "eating a lot" in order to make himself more durable. Wong hit .327 with an .857 OPS through the end of June last season but tailed off offensively in the second half, both offensively and defensively. The 28-year-old backstop is hoping to take a step forward in his fifth MLB campaign in 2025 and will be working with new catching instructor Park Guinn, in addition to Red Sox legend Jason Varitek. Wong broke out to the tune of a .280/.333/.425 slash line and career-highs in home runs (13) and RBI (52) while adding eight steals in 126 games. The majority of his production was buoyed by a strong BABIP that won't be sustainable in 2025, so fantasy managers shouldn't consider him anything more than a low-end No. 2 catcher.

Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong is not in the team's starting lineup on Friday for the series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Fenway Park. Danny Jansen will do the catching for right-hander Brayan Bello and will hit seventh against Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson. Predictably, Wong has come back down to Earth since the All-Star break after a scorching first half. The 28-year-old backstop has gone hitless in 11 plate appearances with two strikeouts in his last four contests and is hitting only .236 (25-for-106) with three homers, seven RBI, 12 RBI and 33 strikeouts in 28 games since the All-Star break. Wong is still slashing a strong .286/.340/.426 on the year with 11 homers and 44 RBI as Boston's primary catcher. Jansen has gone 9-for-35 (.257) with two homers and five RBI in his first 13 games for the Red Sox.