Who is Carlos Narvaez, the Yankees’ surprise addition to the 40-man roster?

The New York Yankees made a notable addition to their 40-man roster on Monday. It is catcher Carlos Narvaez. The 24-year-old joins an array of catchers on the Yankees’ 40-man roster, which already includes Jose Trevino, Austin Wells, Kyle Higashioka, and Ben Rortvedt.

Carlos Narvaez’s inclusion signals the Yankees’ intentions to potentially make changes to their major league catching corps in the upcoming offseason. Both Trevino, who is on the mend from wrist surgery and is expected to return during spring training, and Wells, who left a strong impression in his debut in September, are poised to be part of the Yankees’ active roster for the upcoming season.

Who is Carlos Narvaez

Carlos Narvaez has been safeguarded against the Rule 5 Draft with his inclusion on the 40-man roster. During the 2023 season, he posted a .239/.370/.397 batting line with 12 home runs while splitting time between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A RailRiders. Despite his lack of major league experience, the Yankees’ decision to shield Carlos Narvaez from the Rule 5 draft highlights their belief in his potential.

At the age of 24, his contributions extend beyond his offensive stats, as his defensive skills further enhance his value, making Carlos Narvaez a valuable asset to the team. Moreover, the Yankees have secured him against the possibility of becoming a minor-league free agent had they opted not to add him to the 40-man roster.

The spring training hero

The promising Yankees catching prospect burst onto the scene in a memorable fashion against the Washington Nationals during a spring training game in March 2023. Carlos Narvaez, despite not being the day’s starting catcher, delivered a spectacular walk-off home run that led his team to victory, with Kyle Higashioka having the starting role behind the plate. The team featured several MLB regulars that day, but it was the young Yankees prospect who played a pivotal role in securing the win. Carlos Narvaez concluded the game with a 1-for-2 performance, highlighted by a crucial two-run home run that brought the game to a dramatic end, taking over catching duties from Higashioka late in the match.

In a tense situation with two outs and a runner positioned at first base, the young Yankees catcher found himself at a 1-2 count. Unfazed, Carlos Narvaez promptly connected with a 93-mph sinker, sending the ball soaring into the right-field bleachers and sealing the game with a walk-off home run.

The minor-league exploits

It’s an early birthday gift for Carlos Narvaez, who will celebrate his 25th birthday in just a few weeks. As a right-handed hitter, he joined the Yankees as an amateur player from Venezuela prior to the 2016 season. Hailing from a family of catchers, including his cousin, Mets catcher Omar Narvaez, Carlos Narvaez has dedicated the past seven years to the Yankees’ developmental system. Although he didn’t reach Low-A until 2021, he has demonstrated solid performance over the last couple of years, albeit with a “three true outcomes” approach.

Carlos Narvaez kicked off the year in Double-A, but the majority of his season was spent at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Impressively, he maintained a remarkable 15.3% walk rate during his plate appearances, yet his strikeout rate remained relatively high, exceeding 25%.

Over the course of seven seasons within the Yankees’ farm system, he maintains a lifetime batting average of .249, amassing 36 home runs and driving in 179 runs across 400 games. More recently, Carlos Narvaez has demonstrated his potential, particularly during his last campaign, where he divided his time between the Double-A and Triple-A tiers. In Somerset, he posted a .235 batting average and an on-base percentage of .350. During his stint in Scranton, Carlos Narvaez notably recorded a .240 average, a .373 OBP, and a wRC+ of 97.

Skills do matter

In March, Tanner Swanson, the Yankees’ catching director, expressed his confidence in Carlos Narvaez’s ability to handle the demands of Major League catching. This assessment was made during spring training, even before the young catcher had the chance to make his debut in Double-A. Later in the summer, Aaron Gershenfeld, the Yankees’ defensive coordinator, joined in by lauding Carlos Narvaez as a “complete package defender,” emphasizing his exceptional receiving skills, which ranked at the top of Triple-A leaderboards. When considering Carlos Narvaez’s adaptability within the roster, along with his remaining minor-league options, it becomes evident that he is a valuable asset for providing depth in Triple-A. This flexibility allows him to seamlessly move between Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and the Bronx as the situation demands.

Carlos Narvaez’s ability to draw walks and contribute power from behind the plate remains a tantalizing prospect for the New York front office. Having spent parts of seven seasons in the minors, he was on the verge of becoming a minor league free agent if not added to the 40-man roster. He now joins a crowded group of catchers, including Kyle Higashioka, Jose Trevino, Ben Rortvedt, and the prospect Austin Wells. For the foreseeable future, Carlos Narvaez can be assigned to Triple-A as he enters his first of three minor league option years in 2024.

This situation leaves Higashioka and Rortvedt, two backups at different stages of their careers. Higashioka, the Yankees’ longest-tenured player, is a likely candidate for non-tendering due to his advancing age, as he has just one more year under contract before hitting free agency. Rortvedt is renowned for his defensive skills but remains a liability on offense, having accrued only 71 games of big-league experience.

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Standard Batting Minor Leagues

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	Aff	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB
2016	17	Yankees 1	DOSL	NYY	35	144	133	17	45	9	1	1	24	0	0	8	8	0.338	0.389	0.444	0.833	59	1	3	0	0	0
2017	18	Yankees West	GULF	NYY	32	124	106	13	27	1	0	1	11	0	0	15	22	0.255	0.355	0.293	0.647	31	2	2	0	1	0
2018	19	2 Teams	2 Lgs	NYY	35	141	116	18	30	3	0	1	9	0	1	24	28	0.259	0.39	0.31	0.7	36	2	1	0	0	0
2018	19	Staten Island	NYPL	NYY	3	9	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2018	19	Pulaski	APPY	NYY	32	132	107	18	30	3	0	1	9	0	1	24	26	0.28	0.417	0.336	0.753	36	2	1	0	0	0
2019	20	Staten Island	NYPL	NYY	43	170	147	17	39	6	0	1	13	1	0	17	21	0.265	0.349	0.327	0.676	48	5	3	1	2	0
2021	22	2 Teams	2 Lgs	NYY	77	319	261	53	66	9	0	9	43	3	0	48	94	0.253	0.373	0.391	0.764	102	7	5	0	5	0
2021	22	Hudson Valley	HAE	NYY	16	65	56	12	17	1	0	2	13	1	0	5	18	0.304	0.369	0.429	0.798	24	1	2	0	2	0
2021	22	Tampa	LASE	NYY	61	254	205	41	49	8	0	7	30	2	0	43	76	0.239	0.374	0.381	0.755	78	6	3	0	3	0
2022	23	Hudson Valley	SALL	NYY	79	300	248	37	48	12	1	11	35	4	2	45	87	0.194	0.327	0.383	0.71	95	5	5	0	2	0
2023	24	2 Teams	2 Lgs	NYY	100	419	343	48	82	18	0	12	44	6	3	64	108	0.239	0.37	0.397	0.766	136	12	9	0	3	2
2023	24	Scranton/Wilkes-Barre	IL	NYY	84	359	292	41	70	13	0	10	39	5	1	57	91	0.24	0.373	0.387	0.76	113	11	7	0	3	2
2023	24	Somerset	EL	NYY	16	60	51	7	12	5	0	2	5	1	2	7	17	0.235	0.35	0.451	0.801	23	1	2	0	0	0
2023-24	24	Lara	VEWL		40	149	129	20	33	9	0	2	24	0	0	17	29	0.256	0.342	0.372	0.714	48	2	1	0	2	0
					G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB
Minors (7 seasons)					401	1617	1354	203	337	58	2	36	179	14	6	221	368	0.249	0.363	0.374	0.737	507	34	28	1	13	2
Foreign (1 season)					40	149	129	20	33	9	0	2	24	0	0	17	29	0.256	0.342	0.372	0.714	48	2	1	0	2	0
All Levels (7 Seasons)					441	1766	1483	223	370	67	2	38	203	14	6	238	397	0.25	0.361	0.374	0.735	555	36	29	1	15	2