Jeff

Mathis

Mathis was designated for assignment to clear a spot for Kevan Smith. He’ll head to Triple-A and provide organizational depth.

This move clears out a 40-man roster spot for fellow catcher Kevan Smith, who was acquired from the Rays on Wednesday. Mathis, 38, had gone 0-for-9 with five strikeouts in his short time with Atlanta.

The 38-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Braves after being released by the Phillies. William Contreras is expected to see the bulk of the playing time with Travis d’Arnaud out, but Mathis should see at-bats with Alex Jackson also making a trip to the injured list.

Mathis was recently released by the Phillies after it was clear he wasn’t making the Opening Day roster. Given Travis d’Arnaud’s injury history, it’s not a bad idea for the Braves to gather some veteran depth behind the plate.

Mathis requested his release and it was granted. The veteran catcher signed a minor league contract with Philly in February, but it had become clear that he would not be part of the Opening Day roster out of camp. This is generally a good sign for the status of J.T. Realmuto, who’s working back from a small thumb fracture.

Per Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Mathis will make $1.8 million if he’s in the majors. As of now, Andrew Knapp is the likely frontrunner to be J.T. Realmuto’s backup this season. Mathis turns 38 in March and batted .161/.221/.355 with three homers over 68 plate appearances with the Rangers last year. Obviously he’s hung around this long because of his abilities behind the plate.

It was his 53rd career major league home run and came in his 3,005th career major league plate appearance. The 37-year-old catcher could be headed for retirement this winter.

The homer for Mathis was just the second of the year, and it was a two-run shot in the seventh inning off the usually effective Lou Trivino. The veteran backstop is hitting just .190 with a .652 OPS in 42 at-bats, and offers very little fantasy value in this or any other season.

Chirinos dealt with a sore right ankle toward the end of summer camp and now it appears his other ankle is bothering him. It looks to be a day-to-day situation. Jeff Mathis is catching Wednesday.

Mathis tweaked the hamstring back in mid-March. He’ll be ready to serve as the Rangers’ backup catcher whenever the season begins.