CLEVELAND, Ohio — Catcher Beau Taylor, who has spent virtually all of his professional career in the Oakland Athletics organization, will join the Cleveland Indians for spring training beginning in February. Taylor signed a minor-league contract with an invite to major-league camp on Friday, the team announced.
Taylor, 29, was a fifth-round pick of the A’s in the 2011 first-year player draft out of Central Florida. The Rockledge, Florida native appeared in 11 big-league games in 2019, including 10 for Oakland and one for Toronto, batting 4-for-25 with a pair of home runs.
Taylor has a .258 career minor league batting average with seven clubs and a .727 OPS with 41 home runs and 338 RBI in 710 games. He has posted a .355 on-base percentage in nine minor-league seasons.
Taylor is the second catcher Cleveland added this week after acquiring Sandy Leon from Boston in a trade prior to Monday’s non-tender deadline. His presence at spring training will likely lighten the innings load for Leon and American League Gold Glove Award winner Roberto Perez, who is coming back from an offseason procedure to remove bone spurs in his right ankle. The Indians say Perez’s recovery timeline should have him ready by spring training.
Moroff to Mets: Infielder Max Moroff, who appeared in 20 games and hit .125 for Cleveland after making the 2019 opening day roster, has joined the Mets on a minor-league deal with a spring training invite. Moroff was designated for assignment in May and later sent outright to Columbus where he played in 34 games for the Clippers. The Indians acquired Moroff along with Jordan Luplow in exchange for utility man Erik Gonzalez and a pair of 19-year-old pitching prospects.
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