Rene

Rivera

Rivera, 39, didn’t play professionally last year after spending the 2021 season between Cleveland and Washington. He ended up playing for 10 teams during his 13-year MLB career, most of them with the Mets, Padres, and Rays. He’ll finish with a .221/.273/.354 batting line and 43 career home runs in 542 games.

Rivera was on the 10-day injured list with a right elbow contusion, but the Nationals needed to clear a roster spot to claim righty Patrick Murphy off waivers from the Blue Jays. The veteran backstop appeared in just four games for the Nationals after signing in mid-July.

Rivera has appeared in only four games with the Nationals, hitting .214 (3-for-14) with a pair of runs scored. It’s unclear exactly how long he’ll be sidelined.

Rivera will give the Nats some more experience at catcher with both Yan Gomes (oblique) and Alex Avila (calves) sidelined. He had some major league action with the Indians earlier this season.

Rivera had been designated for assignment last weekend. The veteran backstop is now free to look for a job elsewhere.

Rivera is DFA’d to make room for Roberto Pérez, who is coming off the 60-day injured list after missing two months with a fractured finger. The 37-year-old will likely be organizational depth for Cleveland in Triple-A -- assuming another team doesn’t claim him.

The veteran catcher has been serving as the Indian’s starter after Austin Hedges was placed on the 7-day injured list with a concussion. Rivera is not known for his bat during his time in baseball but is currently hitting a respectable .267 over 45 at-bats.

With Austin Hedges joining Roberto Perez on the IL, Rivera will serve as the Indians’ starting catcher for a bit. He’s hit .262/.326/.333 in 49 plate appearances since joining the team when Perez got hurt last month.

Rivera will take the place of Robert Perez (finger) on the Indians roster. The 37-year-old is a career .221 hitter and will likely act as depth for the Indians in the short term.

This is a depth move for Cleveland. Rivera, 37, is a career .221/.272/.353 hitter at the MLB level.