The Boston Red Sox added veteran catching depth on Thursday, agreeing to a minor league contract with Tomás Nido just as they prepare to open a four-game series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
The move, first reported by Talk Sox’s Nick John, brings a 10-year major league catcher into the organization at a moment when Boston’s primary backstop is dealing with lingering elbow discomfort.
Nido, 32, is a right-handed hitter from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, who debuted with the Mets in 2017 and spent most of his career in New York before brief stops with the Cubs in 2024 and the Tigers in 2025.
Over 333 big-league games, he has hit .215 with 17 home runs and 88 RBI. His value has always been more defensive than offensive. Clubs have kept him around for his receiving, game-calling, and familiarity with major league pitching staffs rather than for extra-base production.
Detroit released him from his minor league deal in late July after a Triple-A stretch in Toledo, leaving him available as a free agent heading into the final stretch of the season.
The timing is not accidental. Adley Rutschman, acquired from Baltimore on August 3, hyperextended his right elbow on an aggressive swing during Monday’s extra-inning win in Miami. He sat out the next two games against the Marlins while receiving treatment.
Interim manager Chad Tracy described the issue as irritation rather than a structural problem and said the club wanted Rutschman fully recovered before turning him loose in New York. Rutschman himself has said he expects to be available for the Yankees series after Thursday’s off day, but the Red Sox have already been cautious with him this year.
Connor Wong has started behind the plate in his absence, with Mickey Gasper also seeing time as a catcher and designated hitter.
Boston recently designated Jake Rogers for assignment after he arrived in the same deadline package as Rutschman, thinning the immediate catching depth.
A minor-league deal for Nido costs almost nothing and gives Worcester another experienced option if Rutschman’s elbow lingers or if Wong needs a rest during a demanding late-August stretch. There is no indication Nido will join the major league roster immediately.
The signing is organizational insurance as the Red Sox, sitting third in the AL East, try to stay in the wild-card picture against a familiar rival.
For Nido, it is another chance to stay in the game after a decade of bouncing between the majors and Triple-A. For Boston, it is a low-risk addition that addresses a position that has required extra attention at an inconvenient moment in the schedule.
Whether he ever appears at Fenway or Yankee Stadium this year will depend on how quickly Rutschman’s elbow settles and how the club manages its 40-man roster through September.
