Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) — The Boston Red Sox acquired catcher Carlos Narváez from the New York Yankees on Wednesday in exchange for minor league pitcher Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and money from the international signing bonus pool.

Boston made the rare deal with its AL East rival after sending top catcher Kyle Teel to the White Sox early in the Winter Meetings. Teel was one of four prospects the Red Sox traded to Chicago for All-Star left-handed pitcher Garret Crochet.

Narváez made his big league debut with the Yankees, hitting .231 in six games that year. The 26-year-old Venezuelan, originally signed by the organization as an undrafted free agent in 2015, hit .254 with 11 home runs and 58 RBIs in 96 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He started 58 games as catcher, 23 as designated hitter and 12 at first base.

Red Sox second baseman Enmanuel Valdez, the Red Sox’s last starter of the season, was designated for the job of earning a spot on the 40-man roster.

The 21-year-old Rodriguez-Cruz went 5-5 with two teams this year with a 2.91 ERA and 102 strikeouts over 89 2/3 innings in 21 games (20 starts), with the highest finish coming against Class-A Salem was. In 48 games (44 starts) over three minor league seasons in the Red Sox organization, the Puerto Rico native went 11-11 with a 2.60 ERA.

Boston selected Rodriguez-Cruz in the fourth round of the 2021 amateur draft.

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