 White chose to retire and the trade was cancelled but not before Nixon played five exhibition games for the Red Sox.Nixon returned to the Indians and started the regular season with them, appearing in 25 games, 21 as the starting catcher; then, almost three months after the original swap, on June 13, he was traded to the Red Sox a second time, with outfielder Carroll Hardy for Canadian-born pitcher Ted Bowsfield and outfielder Marty Keough.. 

Nixon remained with the Red Sox' organization through as a platoon catcher, although he spent part of 1965 with Triple-A Toronto.At the close of spring training in , Boston packaged him and second baseman Chuck Schilling in a trade with the Minnesota Twins for left-handed pitcher Dick Stigman.