The Rangers launched Andrew Knapp from his minor league deal. Jeff Wilson of Rangers As we speak tweets that the veteran catcher triggered an opt-out clause within the contract.
Knapp, 32, had spent your complete season with Triple-A Spherical Rock. The switch-hitting backstop turned in a .292/.374/.444 slash line with a strong 11.8% stroll fee towards a 24.4% strikeout proportion. He linked on six homers, 13 doubles and one triple throughout 254 plate appearances. Whereas Knapp little doubt benefitted from the hitter-friendly nature of the Pacific Coast League, it’s a strong exhibiting for a depth catcher.
The Rangers have three catchers on their 40-man roster: Jonah Heim, Andrew Knizner and Sam Huff. Heim has underperformed this season however isn’t in any hazard of dropping his beginning job after a superb ’23 marketing campaign. Texas will persist with Knziner, who signed for $1.825MM over the winter, because the backup. The previous Cardinal has limped to a .147/.169/.206 slash over 30 video games, however the Rangers evidently nonetheless desire him to Knapp. Huff has spent nearly all the season on elective task to Triple-A, the place he’s placing out at a 31.7% fee.
A former second-round decide of the Phillies, Knapp spent the 2017-21 seasons in Philadelphia. He bounced between a trio of groups in 2022 and hasn’t gotten to the majors during the last yr and a half. The Cal product is a profession .209/.310/.313 hitter throughout 325 large league video games. He has appeared in elements of six seasons on the Triple-A stage, delivering a .257/.337/.410 slash. Public defensive metrics have by no means been particularly excessive on his receiving expertise, however Knapp’s respectable offensive observe document in Triple-A ought to no less than get him one other minor league alternative.