Red Sox catcher Connor Wong underwent a minor surgical procedure Thursday, a right hand carpal boss excision that was performed by Dr. Matthew Leibman at Mass General Brigham Hospital.
A carpal boss is a bony lump on the back of a wrist, typically at the base of the middle and index fingers. Visually, it has similarities to a ganglion cyst. It can be associated with repeated activities such as swinging a bat.
While a bossing can be painless, according to the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, it sometimes becomes symptomatic over time, and its precise impact on a player’s performance is difficult to measure. That said, the issue occurred in what was a physically challenging season for Wong in which a lack of health likely contributed to an offensive downturn.
After Wong hit .280/.333/.425 with 13 home runs in 126 games in 2024, he fell to a .190/.262/.238 line with no homers in 63 games this year. He opened the season as the Sox’ primary catcher, starting seven of the first 11 games, before suffering a fractured pinkie at the base of his left wrist on April 7.
When Wong returned in less than four weeks, rookie Carlos Narváez had supplanted him as the primary catcher. Once back in the lineup, the 29-year-old Wong struggled to drive the ball consistently.
Wong’s surgery came one day after Narváez underwent surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee, performed by Dr. Eric Berkson. Both procedures were announced by the team on Thursday. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, at the Sox’ end-of-year press conference on Monday, had said Narváez would require surgery and “[deserved] a ton of credit for his willingness to play through” the issue down the stretch.
Eyes on Abreu
Manager Alex Cora, in an interview on NESN’s “310 to Left” podcast, identified Wilyer Abreu as a player he believed capable of taking a step forward in 2026 and assuming a more prominent role.
“We need Wily. We’ve got to figure out if Wily is a platoon player or an everyday player,” said Cora. “I think he can hit lefties. His swing is a good one. We know he pulls the ball in the air against righties, but I think he can stay on lefties and shoot the ball to left-center.”
Abreu, 26, hit .247/.317/.469 with 22 homers — second-most on the team — in 115 games. When he missed time down the stretch with a calf injury, the absence of one of the team’s foremost power threats was palpable, and he struggled to produce when he returned in the final days of the regular season and postseason.
Nearly all of Abreu’s playing time in 2025 came against righthanded pitchers, with the Sox turning primarily to Rob Refsnyder against lefties. Abreu started just eight games against lefthanded pitchers and ended the year with 68 plate appearances against southpaws, hitting .230/.299/.377 with one homer.
Still, if he can produce against lefties, the impact on the Sox could be considerable given not only his potential offense but also his elite defense in right field. After he won the American League Gold Glove in 2024, Abreu led AL right fielders in Statcast’s outs above average (eight) and ranked second at his position with 15 defensive runs saved, according to Sports Information Solutions.
“It was a good season for him. He struggled early in the season defensively, then he became a Gold Glover. I do believe he’s going to win it even though he didn’t play for, like, a month,” said Cora. “I think Wily’s the guy [to take a step forward in 2026]. He’s very important for our offense, and the challenge will be this offseason to cover certain areas of the strike zone, and figure out the lefty problem.”
Perales update
Pitching prospect Luis Perales touched 101 miles per hour in his start for the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League on Tuesday. The 22-year-old righthander, who is pitching to get innings after missing most of the year while recovering from 2024 Tommy John surgery, struck out two and walked three in 1⅓ innings.
Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. Follow him @alexspeier.