Boston Red Sox
Wong finds himself the low man on the totem pole, but his 3-RBI night could help his place in the lineup.
Connor Wong had an eventful night on Saturday. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
Connor Wong has seen his role steadily diminish over the past two seasons. He played 126 games in each season in 2023 and 2024, batting .280 in his final year as the Red Sox shortstop.
In 2025, he looked to resume that role after Boston traded top prospect Kyle Till as the main returner for Garrett Crochet. But the sudden rise of Carlos Narvaez caused him to lose his primary responsibilities. He played 63 games and batted .190, the second lowest average of his career.
Now, Wong is lower on the totem pole, with Mickey Jasper rising above him and Narvaez. Interim manager Chad Tracy designated Gasper primarily as the starting catcher on Saturday, indicating that Boston “will be aggressive” in including him in the lineup against right-handed pitchers.
Wong still started Saturday night, and he made the most of it.
He hit what he and the entire Red Sox dugout assumed was a home run in the bottom of the sixth inning — his first home run since late 2024. However, after a Wally Chiefs celebration and official review, the home run was canceled. The ball was hit below the yellow line at the top of the Cleveland Wall.
But even though the home run didn’t count, Wong still got an RBI off the double and gave Boston a 2-1 lead. He fired back with a pair of RBIs in the top of the ninth that gave the Red Sox some extra insurance, and he was brought in soon after for another run. And he was a good sport about the fact that Boston had to take Wally away from him.
“It’s unfortunate that it’s been withdrawn now, but we got the win, so it’s okay,” Wong told reporters. “I still think it was Homer. I wish I could challenge that myself, but it is what it is.”
As one reporter pointed out, this was the first time Wong had worn Wally’s head. This celebration was introduced at the beginning of 2025, but Wong has gone this entire season without a homer.
This year, he has a valid batting average of .245, a far cry from Jasper’s .340 average, but better than Narvaez’s .210 average. Wong may not be able to reclaim his starting role, but he can certainly be the secondary forward behind Gasper based on overall production.
So, while Saturday night was a big win for the Red Sox, it was also a very big win for Wong on an individual level.
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