Josh

Thole

Thole hasn’t made an appearance at the MLB level since 2016, when he batted just .169/.254/.220 in 50 games with the Blue Jays. The 33-year-old will function as organizational depth at catcher for the Yanks.

Thole has batted just .245 with a .650 OPS in 164 plate appearances this season between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. The 32-year-old catcher hasn’t appeared in a major league game since 2016.

Andersen Pickard of MLB Daily Dish was first with the news. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Thole can opt out of his contract if he’s not on the major league roster by July 1. Thole, 32, hasn’t been in the majors since 2016 and split last season between independent ball and the Tigers’ minor league system.

The Mets looked into the possibility, but appear prepared to stick it out with either Mike Nickeas or Rob Johnson as Josh Thole’s backup. Castro, who played with the Mets from 2005 to May of 2009, batted .235/.307/.456 with four homers and 10 RBI over 75 plate appearances with the White Sox last season before breaking his right hand in July.

Thole has a history of concussions, so the Mets aren’t likely to active him from the 7-day disabled list when first eligible. Mike Nickeas should continue to see regular at-bats during his absence.

Thole is now 5-for-9 (.556) with two doubles and two walks to begin the season. He isn’t going to hit for any power, but gets on base at a good clip and should hit for a high batting average. That’s good enough for him to have value in NL-only and two-catcher mixed leagues.

Ty Wigginton was out on a slide into the plate, but his shoulder inadvertently leveled Thole, who fell face-down in the dirt before being attended to by a team trainer. While the 25-year-old backstop walked off the field under his own power, he will almost certainly undergo tests for a possible concussion. Stay tuned for an update on his status.

Thole left Monday’s game in the bottom of the eighth inning after taking a shoulder to the head from a sliding Ty Wigginton. No word yet on the diagnosis, but it’s possible that he could be placed on the 7-day disabled list for concussions. Mike Nickeas, who doubled in the ninth inning of Monday’s game, would get the bulk of the playing time behind the plate during his absence.

Thole left Monday’s game against the Phillies in the bottom of the eighth inning after he took a shoulder to the head from Ty Wigginton, who was sliding into home plate. Mike Nickeas should get most of the playing time during his absence, though Rob Johnson or Lucas May would likely be called up from Triple-A Buffalo to replace him on the active roster. Thole is hitting .284 with a .356 on-base percentage through 26 games this season.

He’ll presumably be added to the active roster if Josh Thole (head) is placed on the seven-day disabled list for concussions. Johnson is hitting .291 over his first 15 games with Triple-A Buffalo, but he’s a .197/.275/.297 hitter over 733 plate appearances in the big leagues. Mike Nickeas should get most of the playing time behind the plate while Thole is sidelined.