The Red Sox and catcher Mark Kolozsvary have agreed to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training, reports Kiley McDaniel of ESPN. It’ll be his second straight season with the Red Sox organization, as he was with the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Worcester in 2024.
Kolozsvary, 29, has technically appeared in two big league seasons, though he played in only one game for the 2023 Orioles and didn’t log a plate appearance. He tallied 10 games with the 2022 Reds and came to the plate 21 times, going 4-for-20 with a homer and two doubles (.200/.238/.450).
In parts of four Triple-A seasons, Kolozsvary owns just a .176/.297/.312 batting line. He’s yet to provide much in the way of offense in his big league career, but Kolozsvary is regarded as a strong defender with quality minor league marks for framing, blocking balls in the dirt and controlling the running game. He’s thrown out 29% of runners who’ve attempted to steal against him in his minor league career.
Kolozsvary is the latest depth addition for a Red Sox club that doesn’t have much certainty behind starting catcher Connor Wong. Trade acquisitions Carlos Narvaez and Blake Sabol are both on the 40-man roster, but neither has established himself in the majors yet. Narvaez has just six big league games to his credit. Sabol is a .243/.313/.392 hitter (95 wRC+) in 382 MLB plate appearances with the Giants but has fanned in one-third of his trips to the plate and struggled defensively at catcher. Boston also brought in veteran Seby Zavala as a non-roster invitee, giving them another strong defender with a shaky track record at the plate.
Slow news day?
Excitement!
My doctor advised me to get a Kolozsvary screening due to my age.
How old are you?
My son and I went to a spring training game last year. He was one a few players signing autographs before the game. Spent time talking to my son and signed a ball. For that, he’s an all star to me.
That’s cool. Doesn’t have to be superstar but even a brief interaction and an autograph with a MLB (even if only in spring training) is a lifelong memory
Ceiling raised. What an offseason!
Pissed my team didn’t sign this guy. Just another first round playoff exit for us I guess
lol
What if this is as good as it gets?
What if its not?
Don’t hold your breath if any of the last few seasons are any indicators.
Richard Leo Gedman he’s not…
Nothing wrong w bringing half a dozen catchers to spring training.
That being said, I feel great w Wong as #1. And lets see the hands of those who thought he’d be the keeper from the Mookie trade.
Yeah paid a sever price for David Price!
The Red Sox needed David Price to win the WS in 2018, and his 2016 to 2019 were good. It was his 2020 to 2022 that cost the Red Sox a truck load of money and lesser prospects, so that they could package him with Betts in the Dodger deal.
The dude has a cannon for an arm. He should switch to pitching. I went to a few Dayton Dragons games, and he would warm up Hunter Greene. One would stand on the left field line and the other on the right field line and long toss back and forth. Crazy thing to see.
A lot of catchers do.
John Henry promised you a right handed bat. There you go.
These catchers can’t be all Wong.
Sign Bregman and an arm already.