Cleveland Indians Acquire Catcher Chris Gimenez From Rangers

Cleveland Indians Acquire Catcher Chris Gimenez From the Rangers

The Cleveland Indians have acquired catcher Chris Gimenez from the Texas Rangers for cash considerations.

The Indians were on the lookout for catching depth due to backup catcher Roberto Perez being on the disabled list with a fractured thumb. There’s still no word on how long Perez will be out; however, there’s a chance surgery could be required and he could be out for an extended period. The Indians are hoping to know more tomorrow on Perez but went ahead and grabbed a veteran backup to use in the meantime. 

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If Gimenez’s name sounds familiar it’s probably because this is his

32nd

third stint with the Tribe. Originally drafted by the Indians back in 2004, Gimenez played for the Indians in 2009 and 2010 before being let go. He bounced between the Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers for the next couple of years before the Indians reaquired him in August of 2014 to provide depth in September. After the season Gimenez rejoined the Rangers before being acquired by the Indians again.

For his career, Gimenez is only a .218 hitter with a .639 OPS and 77 wRC+ (weighted runs created) in 221 big league games (621 plate appearances). However, in 2015, he did hit a .255 with an .820 OPS and 119 wRC+ in limited played (36 games, 113 plate appearances). He also added five home runs for the Rangers. This year though he’s been playing in Double-A for the Rangers and has only appeared in seven games hitting .240 with a .705 OPS.

Gimenez is definitely no Roberto Perez, but he’s probably an upgrade over Adam Moore, who the Indians designated for assignment to create a roster spot, both on the 40-man and 25-man rosters.  In addition to catching, Gimenez has experience at first base, third base, right field, and left field in the big leagues. His bat is such that you don’t expect to see him playing any other spot; however, he does give manager Terry Francona an additional versatile player at his disposable should the need arise. The Tribe does have several players dealing with some nagging injuries including outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall and first baseman Mike Napoli (both dealing with sore necks).

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Gimenez figures to remain the Tribe’s backup catcher until Perez returns, which hopefully is sooner rather than later. One could do worse than Gimenez in a pinch, but he’s not a guy you want as your backup longterm. Hopefully the Tribe gets good news on Perez tomorrow or they could be looking for more catching depth come this summer…