One of the Red Sox top performers from spring training may opt out of his contract with the team. That is, if they don’t prevent it from happening.

According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive, catcher Jorge Alfaro has triggered the opt-out clause in his contract, which became available to him on June 1. Unless the Red Sox promote him to their 26-man active roster by Saturday, he’ll become a free agent.

• It’s not surprising to see Alfaro want a bigger role at this point. In nine spring training games for the Sox he hit .478 with two home runs and six runs driven in, around a trip to the World Baseball Classic where he was the starting catcher for Team Colombia.

  Alfaro has since spent the first two months of the 2023 MLB season in the Minors, where he has continued to hit. In 43 games for the Triple-A WooSox this year, he’s batting .320 with 13 doubles, six home runs, and 30 runs driven in.

• Jorge Alfaro just hit the most majestic HR you'll see all day. pic.twitter.com/re0pbbacDQ

  — Red Sox (@RedSox) March 18, 2023

• According to Cotillo, the Red Sox are “unlikely” to call up Alfaro, “because of their comfort with the tandem of Reese McGuire and Connor Wong behind the plate.” Wong in particular has started looking like a breakout candidate for the Red Sox. One of three players acquired by the Red Sox in the Mookie Betts trade, he’s hitting .280 over the last month with six home runs, including a key one in the team’s 8-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds Thursday night.

  If and when Alfaro leaves, Wong and McGuire would be the only two catchers on Boston’s 40-man roster. If the team needed to add another catcher one would needed to be added to the 40 – likely Ronaldo Hernandez or Caleb Hamilton from Worcester.

• Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.

Sign me up for the 98.5 The Sports Hub email newsletter!

Get the latest Boston sports news and analysis, plus exclusive on-demand content and special giveaways from Boston's Home for Sports, 98.5 The Sports Hub.

First Name *

Last Name

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.