Red Sox bring back former catching prospect Ronaldo Hernández on minor-league deal

The Red Sox are bringing back former catching prospect Ronaldo Hernandez on a minor-league contract, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. He is expected to rejoin Triple-A Worcester and be active for Friday’s series opener against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders at Polar Park.

Hernandez, 27, was originally acquired by the Red Sox from the Rays alongside utilityman Nick Sogard in the February 2021 trade that sent pitchers Jeffrey Springs and Chris Mazza to Tampa Bay. The native Colombian spent the better part of the next three seasons with Worcester (where he hit 17 home runs in 2022 and 2023). He was called up to the major leagues on two separate occasions in 2022 but never debuted and was outrighted off Boston’s 40-man roster that winter.

After reaching free agency at the conclusion of the 2023 campaign, Hernandez spent all of 2024 in the Diamondbacks organization and then signed a minors pact with the Yankees in February. The right-handed hitter broke camp with New York’s Triple-A affiliate (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) and batted .221/.287/.351 with four doubles, two home runs, 13 RBIs, seven runs scored, one stolen base, eight walks, and 19 strikeouts in 25 games (88 plate appearances) for the RailRiders, making 14 starts at catcher, nine starts at DH, and one start at first base. He was released earlier this month and briefly joined the Pericos de Puebla for a two-game stint in the Mexican League before receiving an offer to return to the WooSox.

Hernandez figures to provide the Red Sox with experienced catching depth at Triple-A behind the likes of Seby Zavala, who had emerged as Worcester’s top backstop following the departures of Blake Sabol (traded to the White Sox for cash considerations last Saturday) and Yasmani Grandal (placed on restricted list last month with intention to retire) in recent weeks.