While Major League Baseball paused its schedule for four days during the All-Star break, the Boston Red Sox went to work upgrading their catcher position.
Less than a week after trading Blake Sabol to the Chicago White Sox, the Red Sox are now turning to a veteran catcher recently released by the rival New York Yankees for depth.
More news: Honored by ESPN, Billy Bean’s Husband Has Message For MLB
According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, the Red Sox have signed Ronaldo Hernandez to a minor league contract.
After trading Blake Sabol to the White Sox, the Red Sox are fortifying their AAA catching depth by signing Ronaldo Hernandez to a minor league contract.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) July 17, 2025
Hernandez was a Top-100 prospect prior to the 2019 season, when he was a minor leaguer in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. In six years since, he has yet to reach the major leagues.
More news: Former Orioles Pitcher Announces Return to Baseball Following Cancer Battle
Hernandez, 27, has experience in the Red Sox system from 2021-23. He spent the 2024 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate, and was with the Yankees this year until he was released from his minor league contract July 4.
Now he’ll return to a familiar place. Hernandez played 211 games at Triple-A Worcester from 2021-23, playing a starter’s workload in his last two years with the WooSox and hitting 17 home runs each season.
More news: Pitcher Elects To Leave Mets Organization
Hernandez was originally acquired by Boston in a trade with Tampa Bay in February 2021; pitchers Jeffrey Springs and Chris Mazza went to the Rays in the deal.
The Red Sox would recall Hernandez from Worcester on multiple occasions during the 2022 season, but never used him in a game.
More news: Former American League All-Star Pitcher Passes Away
In January 2024, the Diamondbacks signed Hernandez to a minor league contract with an invitation to their major league camp. However that only led to four at-bats in Cactus League games (he went 1 for 4) and Hernandez again repeated Triple-A for the fourth consecutive season.
The Yankees signed Hernandez to a minor league contract in February, invited him to spring training, and watched him go 1-for-10 in Grapefruit League play.
More news: Former Cubs, Phillies Manager Passes Away
At Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Hernandez had a .221/.287/.351 slash line when he was released on July 4. Days later, the native of Arjona, Colombia signed with Puebla of the Mexican League.
Now, after appearing in two games south of the border, Hernandez is back in affiliated baseball, still chasing his major league dream.
For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.
