Former Red Sox catcher Jorge Alfaro signs minor-league deal with Rockies

Exactly one week after being granted his release from the Red Sox organization, veteran catcher Jorge Alfaro has found a new home.

Alfaro signed a minor-league contract with the Rockies on Saturday, per the club’s transactions log. The soon-to-be 31-year-old backstop (his birthday is on Sunday) has been assigned to Colorado’s Triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque, N.M. and is in the Isotopes’ starting lineup for their game against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.

Alfaro originally inked a minors pact with the Red Sox in January but did not make Boston’s Opening Day roster out of spring training. The right-handed hitter instead began the season with Triple-A Worcester, batting a stout .320/.366/.520 with 13 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 30 RBIs, 22 runs scored, four stolen bases, nine walks, and 43 strikeouts in 43 games (191 plate appearances) for the WooSox.

Despite the strong offensive performance, there were and still are some concerns when it comes to Alfaro’s defense at catcher. The 6-foot-2, 249-foot backstop logged 225 1/3 innings behind the plate for Worcester, allowing six passed balls and throwing out just five of 35 would-be base stealers. He also made two starts at first base, but was not an apparent fit at the position for Boston.

Because the Red Sox expressed confidence in their current catching tandem of Connor Wong and Reese McGuire, Alfaro triggered the opt-out clause in his contract last Thursday. As previously mentioned, it did not take the native Colombian all that long to find a new landing spot.

With the Rockies, Alfaro will look to break back in at the big-league level after spending the 2022 season with the Padres. Colorado currently carries two catchers (Elias Diaz and Austin Wynns) on its 26-man roster and three additional catchers (Daniel Cope, Jonathan Morales, and Brian Serven) on its Triple-A roster.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, already addressed Alfaro’s departure from the organization by promoting catching prospect Stephen Scott to Worcester on Friday. Scott joins Caleb Hamilton and Ronaldo Hernandez in making up Boston’s catching depth at the top flight of the minors.