According to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, the Philadelphia Phillies have signed catcher Erik Kratz to a minor league deal.
Kratz, 35, played with the Phillies for three seasons, 2011-2013. He will report to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday, per Zolecki.
Over 120 combined games in red pinstripes, the Telford, Pennsylvania-native hit .230/.291/.436 with 18 home runs and 52 runs-batted-in.
Kratz served as a reliable back-up catcher while in Philadelphia, especially during Carlos Ruiz's stellar All-Star season in 2012.
On December 3, 2013, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, along with left hander Rob Rasmussen, in exchange for reliever Brad Lincoln.
Lincoln appeared in just two games for the Phillies last season, allowing three earned runs over five hits in 2.1 innings of work. He was granted free agency on November 4, 2014.
With Toronto, Kratz produced similar power numbers that he put up in Philadelphia, but he had competition in the back-up role with Josh Thole. This ultimately reduced his playing time and the need for him on the Blue Jays' roster.
Kratz was traded later that season, on July 28, to the eventual, American League champion Kansas City Royals. There, he batted 8-29 with three extra-base hits, but he was unfortunately left off of the postseason roster.
Being traded twice in the same season, Kratz found the first in particular to be a complete surprise:
“I never thought I would get traded from Philly,” Kratz said. “I got traded twice in six months and I thought that would never happen. I have been super thankful to have this opportunity with Kansas City.”
This season, Kratz had just five plate appearances in four games with the Royals. He was selected off of waivers by the Boston Red Sox on June 21, and was granted free agency nearly a week later. The Seattle Mariners signed him as a free agent on July 2, but he was released this past Wednesday by the American League West club.
Even though the Phillies will be Kratz's fourth team over just a few weeks, he will likely remain with this organization for the rest of the season. He will provide insurance for the Phillies, as they are thin in major league available catchers outside of Ruiz and Cameron Rupp.
Expect Kratz to be called up come September 1, if not sooner barring injury, release, or any non-waiver or waiver trades made in July and August respectively.
Matt Rappa (@mattrappasports) is managing editor of Philliedelphia.com.
