The Cleveland Indians have signed 32-year-old catcher Anthony Recker to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, the team confirmed earlier today via Twitter.
Recker comes with five years of Major League experience, including one with the Oakland Athletics and four with the New York Mets where he served mostly as a backup. Recker joins relief pitcher Joe Colon, catcher Adam Moore, and outfielders Michael Martinez and Shane Robinson as the list of Indians minor league contracts with Spring Training invites continue to grow.
Similar to the Shane Robinson signing last week, this is not much more than a depth move for the Indians. Recker’s career slash line of .185/.260/.334 means he probably will not be competing against Yan Gomes for a starting position or Roberto Perez for a backup job anytime soon. It does, however, perpetuate the confusion about catcher Tony Wolters still being on the Indians 40-man roster. Adam Moore would have been a better option to keep on the roster as the third catcher, but even Recker would make more sense than Wolters, who has never made it past Double-A in his six years in the minors.
Recker will likely start the year in Triple-A and be added to the roster and called up to the Majors if Yan Gomes suffers and injury for the third-straight year. Otherwise, Gomes and Perez should be able to stay as the team’s two primary catchers.