ARLINGTON, Texas — Sandy Leon might have been little more than an afterthought in spring training, when he was the fourth catcher on a depth chart that featured Blake Swihart, Christian Vazquez and Ryan Hanigan.

But once again, the Red Sox are in a pinch behind the plate, and Leon could find himself in a starting role.

The team could eventually decide to option Vazquez back to Triple A, a move that would allow the 25-year-old some much-needed time to make offensive adjustments. The Sox feel like the year he missed from Tommy John surgery has played a role in his struggles with the bat (.215 with a .557 OPS in 157 plate appearances).

Manager John Farrell wouldn’t say if minor league at-bats might help Vazquez at this point, but he offered praise for Leon, one day after his ninth-inning, two-out double on the 11th pitch of his at-bat propelled the Sox to a come-from-behind, 8-7 win against the Texas Rangers.

“He’s doing an excellent job,” Farrell said. “All things being equal, the offense certainly weighs into (the competition). At the same time, because of the attrition rate at the position, we have to be careful, too, from our perspective as well, from an organizational depth standpoint. You’re always, as I said the last couple of times, you’re a foul tip away from needing the next guy.”

Hanigan, on the 15-day disabled list and rehabbing from a neck strain, is scheduled to play in back-to-back full games with Triple-A Pawtucket Tuesday and Wednesday. He could return to the Red Sox late next week. What that means for Vazquez is uncertain.

Leon, who is 12-for-22 with four walks and four strikeouts this season, is out of minor league options and would need to pass through waivers before the Sox could send him back to Pawtucket. Vazquez still has options.

Last year, Leon hit just .184 with a .439 OPS, the fourth-worst OPS of any MLB player with at least 100 plate appearances. Because of his defensive ability behind the plate, the Red Sox valued him as a backstop before they sent him through waivers.

At the time, they were shocked to see no other team claim him.

“I think there were a number of us who felt like we wouldn’t see him again,” Farrell said.

This year, though, as Leon has impressed on both sides of the ball, it’s a virtual certainty he would be claimed by a team if the Red Sox tried to sneak him through waivers again.

“We don’t want to lose him,” Farrell said. “He’s doing a great job.”

The Sox aren’t in a position to afford the loss of Leon. With Hanigan injured, Vazquez struggling and Swihart on the DL with a severe ankle sprain he suffered while playing left field, the Sox are no longer flush with catching depth.

The question becomes: How much value does Leon have? He’s a career .221 hitter in the majors and a .238 hitter in the minors. After spending his winter playing in Venezuela, though, the 27-year-old switch-hitter has looked like a different player this season.

Farrell is buying in.

“I think he knows himself better as a player now,” Farrell said. “He wasn’t unsettled in being called upon in a couple of pinch-hit situations. Good on him, good for us.”

Cuevas returns

The last time William Cuevas was on the Red Sox roster, Farrell used him in a late-and-close situation and Cuevas took the loss, allowing two runs in 21⁄3 innings of relief.

Cuevas was again recalled from Pawtucket as the Sox needed to protect their bullpen in case disaster struck again, one day after David Price lasted just seven outs in his start against the Rangers.

Cuevas had a 3.30 ERA in Pawtucket, though it’s worth noting his strikeout-to-walk ratio of 48-to-29 in 732⁄3 innings indicates his low ERA could be somewhat misleading.

Cuevas, who took the roster spot of infielder Deven Marrero, will likely remain on the roster through the weekend, Farrell said.

Holt sticks with it

Brock Holt will continue his rehab in Pawtucket tonight and is scheduled to play a full game in left field. He was still feeling symptoms of his concussion as of midweek, so the Sox are waiting for him to tell them when he’s ready to return, Farrell said. …

When looking back on Price’s disastrous outing on Friday night, Farrell said the Rangers had a clear plan of how to attack him. Price didn’t have his best location, either.

“The three different types of pitches seem to be in the same range, not velocity range but location range,” Farrell said. “He didn’t command the bottom of the strike zone as consistently. He wasn’t as sharp to side to side. You start pitching mid-thigh and it leaks back into the middle of the plate, that’s a dangerous place.” …

Notes on Friday’s comeback win from Elias: It was the first time the Red Sox won a game when down three runs with two outs in the ninth since Sept. 23, 2003, against the Orioles. Prior to Friday, the Red Sox had lost their past 120 road games when trailing by six runs at any point.