Red Sox’s Carlos Narvaez Offers 3-Word Response On Cryptic Scratch

April 2, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 04: Carlos Narvaez #75 of the Boston Red Sox looks on during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Friday, July 4, 2025 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

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The Boston Red Sox were hoping to get back on track in their series finale against the Houston Astros on Wednesday, but they suffered another loss instead.

Even with franchise ace Garrett Crochet on the mound against the Astros, the Red Sox saw their losing streak stretch to five games. Crochet endured some uncharacteristic struggles, giving up four earned runs in just five innings, and perhaps it did not help matters that his backstop was mysteriously substituted out just before the game started.

“Something’s up with Carlos Narvaez,” Dylan Svoboda wrote for the New York Post. “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.”

Boston Red Sox Manager Alex Cora Explains Scratch For Catcher Carlos Narvaez

Manager Alex Cora would not provide a specific reason for the scratch, but he did not outright reject the notion that it was a disciplinary decision when asked.

“I just made a change,” Cora explained, per Svoboda. “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.”

In three games so far this season, Narvaez has a .444 batting average, with four hits and three strikeouts. But instead of going with him as expected in the Astros series finale, the Red Sox substituted Connor Wong behind the dish, who has three hits and three strikeouts for a .429 average. Wong had two hits in three at-bats on Wednesday.

Boston Red Sox Catcher Carlos Narvaez Responds To Alex Cora’s Decision

When asked about the mysterious scratch before the game, Narvaez offered a three-word response:

“There’s nothing wrong,” he said, according to MassLive’s Christopher Smith.

But he wouldn’t elaborate on a specific reason for the move any further.

“Like AC said this morning, we want to keep it between us,” he added, per Smith. “Yeah, I respect the decision… Just gotta keep going."

The Red Sox appear likely to split time between Wong and Narvaez going forward and the lack of detail about the substitution suggested the team would like to move on from the issue and put Narvaez back into games in the near future.

But as Cora and company look to break their losing streak and build some momentum toward another trip to the playoffs, they’ll have to hope that whatever caused the last-minute scratch doesn’t devolve into a bigger issue.

The team is set to return to Fenway Park to open up a series against the San Diego Padres on Friday.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

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