Mike

Rivera

The Padres are 3-0 with Rivera, who is earning rave reviews from San Diego pitchers. ''Wiki is not out of the picture,’' manager Bruce Bochy said. ''I’m going with the hot hand, just like I have with the bullpen.’' When Bennett returns, the team will have to make a decision between Rivera and Gonzalez.

Rivera, an offensive-minded backstop, was hitting .297/.340/.491 for Nashville. He’s probably not going to play any more than Chad Moeller did, so at best, he’s a second catcher in two-catcher NL-only leagues.

Rivera shouldn’t have any fantasy value, but he will be able to hit better than Moeller who was hitting just .184 before the Brewers waived him.

He wasn’t going to make the team with Jonathan Lucroy and George Kottaras around, and the Brewers preferred to go with Martin Maldonado and Paul Phillips at Triple-A. Rivera should catch on somewhere.

Rivera was released by the Brewers at the end of spring training after failing to beat out George Kottaras for backup catching duties. The 35-year-old will function as organizational depth this summer for Boston.

He also gets an invite to spring training. The 31-year-old backstop appeared in one game with the Brewers this past season, but spent the majority of the year at the Triple-A level. He’ll continue to provide organizational depth in the minors.

Rivera will split time with Wiki Gonzalez until Gary Bennett returns.

Assuming that Wiki Gonzalez outplays him for Portland, Rivera probably won’t get another chance to establish himself in the majors this year. He needs to get to a ballpark that won’t do such a good job of sapping his power.

Rivera, a former Tigers prospect, hit .285/.320/.575 in 214 AB for Triple-A Nashville last season. Depending on what the Brewers do with Chad Moeller, Rivera could compete for a reserve job. However, the team will probably want someone with a better glove.

When Gary Bennett returns from the DL (he’s eligible May 2), it could be Wiki Gonzalez instead of Rivera who goes to Triple-A Portland.