NEW YORK - The emergence of Blake Swihart in the second half will make for an interesting decision for the Red Sox.
Swihart has hit .301 since coming back from a foot injury in late July. He hit two homers and knocked in five runs Tuesday night. His slugging percentage is up and Swihart has shown solid extra-base power.
But the Red Sox will also have Christian Vazquez recovered from Tommy John surgery when spring training begins, forcing the Red Sox to make a tough call.
Even with Vazquez's injury, the Red Sox can't keep the two catchers. It would be a waste to platoon them -- Swihart is a switch-hitter -- and it would make no sense to, as some have suggested, move Swihart to another position like first base.
Swihart has shown great improvement behind the plate, and is expected to hit. But moving him to first base takes away that value. What stands as good production as a catcher might look pretty average as a first baseman.
Sometime soon, the Red Sox will have to choose: do they stay with Vazquez, who throws as well as any catcher in the game and is already regarded as a plus defender? Or do they go with Swihart, and add offense to a position where it's difficult to attain?
Vazquez's injury complicates things, of course. It would be difficult to move Swihart without knowing that Vazquez is fully recovered and ready for 2016. And it would be almost impossible to deal Vazquez until he proves himself healthy.
But at some point, the Sox have to pick between the two and it's incumbent upon them to make the right call.