(Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images)
On Monday, the New York Yankees recalled Venezuelan catcher Carlos Narváez from Triple-A Scranton Wilkes Barre. Narváez will be the third catcher on the roster, while outfielder Alex Verdugo, placed on the paternity list on Monday, is away from the team.
Narváez, 25, was born in Maracay, Venezuela, and hit .231 with one home run in 17 plate appearances for the Yankees during spring training. He began his Yankee career in 2016 as a 17-year-old in the Dominican Summer League and has yet to make his Major League Baseball debut.
Narváez may only be with New York until Verdugo returns from the paternity list, but his promotion gives him a chance to appear in an MLB game for the first time. Despite his promotion, the Yankees will likely continue using Jose Trevino and Austin Wells behind the dish. Narváez’s best chance of making an appearance is as a defensive replacement late in a game.
Narváez posted a .211/.376/.342 slash line with two home runs in 23 games for Triple-A Scranton Wilkes Barre before his promotion with the Yankees. The right-handed hitter and thrower played 40 games for the Cardenales de Lara of Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional during the winter, posting a .714 OPS with two home runs and 24 RBI.
Narváez tends to strike out, going down on strikes 108 times in 100 games in 2023 between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton Wilkes Barre. He struck out 24 times in 23 games this season for Scranton Wilkes Barre.
“While Narváez has tended to perform a bit above the league average at each of his minor league stops, his vulnerability to high fastballs is rather extreme, and big league pitchers will be able to get him out at will if they can execute heaters at the belt and above,” Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs wrote about the catcher in December 2023.
The New York Yankees play a crucial four-game series with American League East rival Baltimore Orioles from Monday, April 29, to Thursday, May 2, at Oriole Park in Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland, before returning home to the Bronx to take on the Detroit Tigers this weekend.
