The Indians announced that they have signed first baseman David Cooper to a Major League contract. Cooper is represented by CAA Sports.
As profiled in an excellent piece from ESPN's Jerry Crasnick earlier this year, Cooper made a comeback from a career-threatening back injury in 2013. A radical thoracic spinal surgery saved Cooper's career and allowed him to begin a comeback attempt with Cleveland's minor league affiliates in 2013. Cooper hit .314/.364/.373 in 55 plate appearances between the Rookie League and Triple-A last year. Formerly selected 17th overall by the Blue Jays in the 2008 draft, Cooper batted .300/.324/.464 in 145 PAs for the Jays in 2012.
Cooper likely will provide the Tribe with a bench bat that has enough upside to potentially grow into a larger role. The 26-year-old is a career .341/.417/.525 batter in parts of three seasons at the Triple-A level.
Crasnick was the first to report that the two sides were close to a deal.
