MLB Player News

Rohlfing signed a minor league contract with the Twins on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The well-traveled catcher spent the past four seasons at the Triple-A level, but Rohlfing hasn't been able to crack the major league roster due to typically poor batting lines and strikeout rates north of 20 percent. Until he can solve these issues, he'll likely continue to dwell in the minors as an organizational depth piece.

The Brewers traded Maldonado to the Angels on Tuesday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Milwaukee packaged Maldonado with Drew Gagnon to land a marginal upgrade at the catcher position in Jett Bandy. Maldonado graded out favorably behind the plate in 2016 and walked at a 13.8 percent clip, but the rest of his offensive numbers were less than stellar. Still, Maldonado would seem to have a leg up on Carlos Perez for the lion's share of the playing time in 2017.

Maile is expected to platoon with Curt Casali at catcher until the newly acquired Wilson Ramos (knee) is healthy.

The 25-year-old backstop slashed .227/.252/.361 with three homers and 15 RBI over 126 plate appearances at the big league level in 2016. Those numbers represented a notable improvement over his 2015 cup of coffee, which consisted of a scant 35 plate appearances and saw Maile generate a .171/.171/.257 line. With Ramos not expected back until late May at the earliest, Maile figures to see a decent amount of playing time while platooning with Casali to open the season, with his exact role after Ramos' return likely to be largely predicated on how he acquits himself during that period.

Casali is expected to platoon with Luke Maile at catcher until the newly acquired Wilson Ramos (knee) is healthy.

Despite slashing .186/.273/.336 over 256 plate appearances last season at the big league level, Casali displayed a knack for making it count when he did make contact, rapping out 18 extra-base hits (10 homers) and tallying 25 RBI. His bloated 32 percent strikeout rate certainly needs improvement, but Casali's solid work behind the plate and occasional pop is likely to keep him involved even after Ramos is healthy enough to play, which is likely to be in late May or early June. In the interim, he figures to platoon with Luke Maile to begin the 2017 campaign.

Sanchez signed a minor league deal with the Angels on Friday, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

Sanchez split the 2016 season in the Blue Jays and Giants' organizations, struggling to stay above the Mendoza Line in Triple-A at both stops. He's had a few brief stints in the majors, but at this point the 28-year-old figures to serve primarily as organizational depth behind the plate and will likely open the season back at Triple-A.

Ohlman signed a minor league contract with Toronto on Monday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports.

The 25-year-old catcher also received an invite to join the Jays for spring training. Ohlman hit .287 with seven homers and 44 RBI between two of St. Louis' minor league affiliates in 2016.

Pena signed a minor league contract with the White Sox on Monday, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports.

He was drafted in 2010 by the Astros and reached Triple-A last season for the first time in his career. Omar Narvaez, Kevan Smith and Alfredo Gonzalez are all likely ahead of Pena on the organizational depth chart, but it is a very weak position for the White Sox, so playing time could become available. That said, he has never posted a wRC+ above 90 in seven minor league seasons, so the offensive upside is very limited.

Mejia was added to the Indians' 40-man roster Friday, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The Indians weren't going to let Mejia get away in the Rule 5 draft -- he's one of the top catching prospects in the game (one of the top hitting catchers in the minor leagues, anyway). He posted a combined .342/.382/.514 line between Low-A and High-A in 2016, at one point hitting safely in 50 straight games. The 21-year-old figures to advance to Double-A next season.

Gallagher was added to the Royals' 40-man roster Friday.

The Royals opted to add Gallagher rather than risk losing him in the Rule 5 draft. He advanced to the Double-A level in 2016, batting .259/.348/.359 with four homers and 24 RBI in 91 games. It's hard to imagine Gallagher will get a chance in 2017 with three other catchers on the 40-man roster.

Garver was added to the Twins' 40-man roster on Friday, MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger reports.

The Twins protected him from the Rule 5 draft, as expected. Given the state of catching in the minors and the lack of a reliable one on the Twins' 25-man roster, Garver has understandably gained some steam as a sleeper at the position. He hit 11 home runs with a 118 wRC+ in 95 games at Double-A and dominated in a brief run at Triple-A, thanks largely to a .436 BABIP. Look for him to head back to Triple-A at the start of 2017, with a potential promotion to the big leagues at some point during the summer.