Bryan

Lavastida

Lavastida bolsters the Athletics’ catching depth behind starter Shea Langeliers and veteran journeyman Austin Wynns. The 27-year-old former prospect appeared in six games for the Guardians back in 2023 and hasn’t been back to the majors ever since. He’s merely an emergency depth addition at this juncture.

Lavastida got into six games for the Guardians back in 2022 and hasn’t been back in the big leagues ever since. The 26-year-old former prospect spent all last season at Triple-A Columbus, posting a lackluster .232/.334/.387 triple-slash line with eight homers and five steals in 345 plate appearances. He fortifies Houston’s organizational catching depth chart at Triple-A Sugar Land.

It’s a bit surprising that Lavastida went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. The 24-year-old backstop will head to Triple-A Columbus to continue serving as organizational catching depth.

Lavastida was removed from Cleveland’s 40-man roster on Sunday morning to make room for top pitching prospect Logan Allen. The 24-year-old backstop got into six games last year for the Guardians and should attract some interest on waivers. He would make a ton of sense for a team like the Angels that is dealing with injuries at the catcher position.

This makes it clear that Cam Gallagher is the most likely option to back up Mike Zunino come Opening Day. Lavastida saw a cup of coffee last year and might be a factor behind the plate at some point, though Bo Naylor is the name most Guardians fans will be tracking.

Zunino, who signed a one-year, $6 million pact with the Guardians to take over as their starting catcher this season, is fully recovered from last year’s surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. The 31-year-old slugging backstop’s health this spring will have a major impact on Cleveland’s Opening Day roster as top prospect Bo Naylor will head to Triple-A Columbus, if Zunino is ready to go on Opening Day. Bryan Lavastida is expected to serve as his primary caddy this year.

While no corresponding move has been announced yet, this move likely signifies that Luke Maile (hamstring) will be activated from the injured list on Monday. The 23-year-old saw just 15 plate appearances during his time with the Guardians, going 1-for-12 (.083) with a 4/3 K/BB ratio.

It’ll be the first trip to the show for the 23-year-old backstop. He impressed in the minor leagues during the 2021 season, slashing .289/.380/.456 with nine homers, 51 RBI and 16 stolen bases (in 24 attempts) in 84 games across three levels. He’ll function as the primary backup behind Austin Hedges while Luke Maile (hamstring) begins the season on the injured list.

Lavastida has been added to the Guardians’ 40-man roster and will be protected from next month’s Rule 5 Draft. The 22-year-old catcher worked his way from High-A to Triple-A last season, slashing .289/.380/.456 with nine home runs and 16 stolen bases over 287 at-bats.