Major League Baseball lineups don’t have to be fixed, but establishing roles can be beneficial. The Boston Red Sox currently need to clarify the roles of two players. Initially, Connor Wong was the primary catcher, with Carlos Narváez as his backup. However, the events of this season suggest their roles should be reversed. Wong struggled at the start, suffered an injury in mid-April, returned in early May, and continues to face difficulties.

Meanwhile, Narváez has performed impressively, particularly in hitting, which was unexpected given his limited major league experience prior to this season. Red Sox manager Alex Cora has already started Narváez in two out of three games in each of Boston’s last three series. There’s no reason not to elevate Narváez to a more prominent role. He deserves to start as often as his condition allows, and Wong no longer merits the benefit of the doubt. We’re not alone in this belief; Red Sox commentator and former third baseman Will Middlebrooks concurs.

“The catcher situation isn’t a question; it’s about how they’ll handle Connor Wong because Narváez is currently the preferred choice,” Middlebrooks mentioned on this week’s episode of “Sox Talk with Will Middlebrooks.” “He needs to play five days a week. Defensively, he’s superior. The metrics support this. He’s arguably among the top defensive catchers, alongside Williams Contreras. Considering defensive runs saved, blocking, and framing, which still matter with the new ABS system.”

Wednesday night’s game exemplified the seasons both players are having. Narváez went 2-for-3 with a walk and reached base at the top of the ninth inning as the potential go-ahead run. His OPS is now .767, which would rank sixth among all catchers if he met the plate appearance criteria. Wong then replaced Narváez as a defensive substitute after David Hamilton pinch-ran for him. Wong immediately made a wild throw over Trevor Story’s head during an Andy Ibañez stolen base attempt, allowing the winning run to advance to third base with no outs.

Wong has earned respect within the organization for his year-over-year progress, but currently, he’s not in playable form. Perhaps a reduced role will help him regain his stride, but for now, Narváez should be the primary catcher as often as he can manage.