The Boston Red Sox will soon be able to give Connor Wong a day off.
It has been more than five weeks since Reese McGuire went on the injured list, leaving a matchup with the Minnesota Twins in the middle of an at-bat after suffering an injury to his right oblique muscle. McGuire initially expected the injury to knock him out for “a few weeks,” but has missed well over a month since going on the shelf.
That time appears to be drawing to a close, however.
McGuire is expected to join the Red Sox on Monday in Seattle, eventually returning to the roster at some point during Boston’s series with the Mariners, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.
The return, for as big as it is for McGuire, might mean even more for Wong. The Red Sox’s top catcher has seen his workload reach ridiculous levels since McGuire went down, playing in 28-of-31 games for Boston.
Wong has been fine on the offensive end, slashing .265/.296/.325 in that stretch, but has seen his power drop off with the increased workload. He hasn’t missed a beat defensively, though, throwing out the second most runners in the American League.
The hope is that McGuire’s arrival will allow the Red Sox to continue playing the matchups, while giving Wong some much-needed rest.
Boston will have to make a roster move to open a spot for McGuire.
