The Reds announced Friday that catcher Juan Graterol cleared waivers after being designated for assignment this week and has been sent outright to Triple-A Louisville. A a player who’s previously been outrighted, Graterol will have the opportunity to elect free agency, which seems likely with the offseason on the horizon.
Graterol, 30, appeared in six games with Cincinnati this season and tallied four singles in 18 trips to the plate. He’s played sparingly in several big league stints across the past four seasons, compiling a .218/.227/.266 line in 129 plate appearances between the Angels, Twins and Reds. He’s also spent parts of six seasons in Triple-A, where he’s a career .277/.313/.340 hitter.
While he’s not much of a threat at the plate, Graterol has been a plus framer, pitch blocker and thrower both in the upper minors and in the Majors. He boasts a 32 percent caught-stealing rate in the big leagues and a hefty 38 percent mark in parts of 14 minor league seasons. He’ll presumably draw interest among teams eyeing catching depth in the upper minors this winter, likely landing a minor league deal and an invite to big league Spring Training somewhere.
Age 30, barely played in MLB. This is a tough life, not the glamor one associates with a big league player. Best of luck!
always seems to get a contract somewhere…it could be much worse.