Dodgers Sign Tomas Telis To Minors Contract

The Dodgers signed catcher Tomas Telis to a minor league deal earlier this month, as per the team’s official MLB.com transactions page.  Telis began the offseason as a minor league free agent, and is therefore eligible to sign during the lockout.

A veteran of five MLB seasons, Telis hit .230/.267/.298 over 267 plate appearances while playing with the Rangers and Marlins from 2013-18.  He has spent the last three seasons in the Twins organization but hasn’t yet appeared in a big league game for Minnesota.  Telis had his contract selected in April but was sent back down after a couple of days without seeing any action during his cup of coffee on the Twins’ active roster.

With Will Smith and Austin Barnes atop the Dodgers’ catching depth chart, Telis will provide some veteran depth in the minors, assuming he sticks with the club through Spring Training.  While the 30-year-old Telis hasn’t hit much at the MLB level, he has some very strong numbers at the Triple-A level, with a .306/.349/.426 career slash line and 43 home runs in 2262 PA at the top rung of the minor league ladder.  Telis’ production with Minnesota’s Triple-A club would likely have resulted in at least another look from most organizations, though the Twins’ own depth at catcher seemed to make Telis something of an afterthought.