The Royals are signing catcher Jakson Reetz to a minor league deal, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. He will get an invite to Spring Training.
Reetz, 27 in January, got a brief major league debut in 2021, making two plate appearances over two games with the Nationals. That’s the extent of his big league experience thus far. He was designated for assignment in September and eventually signed a minor league deal with the Brewers.
His 2022 got off to a great start, as he hit 22 home runs in 64 Double-A games, getting bumped up to Triple-A and adding three more long balls. In August, the Brewers added him to their 40-man roster to prevent him from triggering an opt-out, but they kept him down on the farm on optional assignment. Though the club liked him enough to try to retain him, he got squeezed off the roster two weeks later. Reetz signed a minor league deal with the Royals in August and hit well as the season was winding down. In 21 games, he added another five home runs to bring his season total to 30. Between the different teams, he hit .264/.359/.575 for a wRC+ of 141.
Reetz was generally considered a glove-first catcher as a prospect, so to see him suddenly have a power outburst is certainly an encouraging development. The Royals already got a look at him as the 2022 season was winding down and liked him enough to bring him back for catching depth. The club has Salvador Perez entrenched as their everyday backstop, which has moved prospect MJ Melendez into an unknown role where he occasionally catches but also plays the outfield to keep his bat in the lineup. The only other catcher on the 40-man roster is Freddy Fermín, who has just three games of MLB experience. Reetz and Fermín could potentially battle for a spot as a third/backup catcher on the active roster, alongside any other depth options the club adds between now and Opening Day.
Wish the Pirates would’ve gotten him instead of signing Tyler.
The Bucs certainly aren’t finished signing cheap catchers but I think they’re targeting more experienced guys. Then again, in Heineman’s case, experience hasn’t counted for much.
Think he was waiting to see the recent catching signings and now that the Brewers got the catching position “set” he took the offer from the Royals even though Perez is set there.
Sounds like he is worth taking a chance on.
I was hoping the Angels would take a flyer on him. At least his home games, for the Storm Chasers, he’ll be playing in his home state
.500 career batting average. solid
Norris HS kid. I watched him in high school and it’s great to see a kid from rural Nebraska get some chances in the Majors.
He’s up there with guys like Nate Fisher from Yutan, NE (White Sox minors) and Jake Diekman from Wymore (also White Sox). Fun stuff.
That’s awesome glad to see him get a chance to win a job. I wonder what adjustments he did to help him or if he had laser eye surgery or something ( for some reason I thought I read that for him , could be wrong). Either way happy for him. Maybe this years Betancourt.
omg we made a move. championship for sure now.