Brantly elected free agency Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Brantly had a brief stint in the majors last season, playing in three games and going 1-for-9 with the Rays in late August. That MLB action was his first since the 2022 campaign, and he's played in just 12 contests in the big leagues overall since 2017 while spending time with six different organizations. Brantly would likely need to accept a minor-league deal in order to latch on with a new squad.
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Rays' Rob Brantly: Clears waivers
Rotowire
The Rays outrighted Brantly to Triple-A Durham on Monday.
While Ben Rortvedt was on the paternity list last week, the Rays briefly added Brantly to the 40-man roster and had him serve as the No. 2 catcher for the big club behind Alex Jackson. Before the Rays cast him off the 40-man roster when Rortvedt rejoined the team Saturday, Brantly went 1-for-9 while appearing in three games, marking his first big-league action since the 2022 campaign. The 35-year-old backstop will now head back to Durham, but he could get another call-up in September if Rortvedt or Jackson misses time or if the Rays want to carry a third catcher.
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Rays' Rob Brantly: Dropped from 40-man
Rotowire
The Rays designated Brantly for assignment Saturday.
The return of Ben Rortvedt from the family emergency list will leave Brantly without a spot on the active and 40-man rosters. The 35-year-old backstop went 1-for-9 over three games during his stint with the Rays, and the owns a .741 OPS across 155 plate appearances in the minors.
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Rays' Rob Brantly: Summoned from Triple-A
Rotowire
The Rays selected Brantly's contract from Triple-A Durham on Monday, Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Sun reports.
He'll serve as the backup catcher behind Alex Jackson while Ben Rortvedt (personal) is away on paternity leave. Brantly is a career .225/.287/.326 hitter over parts of eight big-league seasons and sports a .741 OPS with Durham in 2024.
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Rays' Rob Brantly: Part of taxi squad
Rotowire
Brantly is in Tampa Bay on the Rays' taxi squad for the weekend series against the Diamondbacks, Steve Carney of StPeteNine.com reports.
Ben Rortvedt is expected to go on paternity leave soon, so Brantly is with the team. Brantly has spent all of 2024 with Triple-A Durham and is slashing .271/.390/.361 with five home runs and 17 RBI.
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Rays' Rob Brantly: Can't capture roster spot
Rotowire
Brantly was informed Friday that he did not make the big-league roster out of spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Brantly joined the Rays on a minor-league deal in January, and he was in the mix to back up Rene Pinto behind the dish. He hit well across 16 plate appearances in Grapefruit League action, and the team has said they hope to keep Brantly in the organization to serve as depth.
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Rays' Rob Brantly: Gets deal with Tampa Bay
Rotowire
Brantly signed a minor-league contract with the Rays on Monday.
The deal includes an invitation to big-league spring training, where Brantly will presumably get the chance to compete for the Rays' No. 2 catching gig heading into Opening Day. The 34-year-old journeyman backstop spent last season in the Toronto organization, slashing .271/.390/.361 over 177 plate appearances with Triple-A Buffalo before he was cut loose in July.
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Rob Brantly: Cut by Jays
Rotowire
The Blue Jays released Brantly on Friday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Brantly was slashing .271/.390/.361 across 177 plate appearances with Triple-A Buffalo, and he'll now attempt to latch on with a new organization. His performance should earn him a minor-league deal, though a promotion to the majors this season remains unlikely.
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Blue Jays' Rob Brantly: Gets minor deal from Jays
Rotowire
Brantly signed a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays on Friday and received an invitation to spring training.
Brantly spent nearly all of 2022 with the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, slashing .264/.328/.346 through 201 plate appearances. Toronto already has Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk behind the plate, so it is unlikely Brantly will earn a spot on the major-league club during spring training, though he could earn a call up if the Jays' depth behind the plate is tested during the season.
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Yankees' Rob Brantly: Re-ups on minor-league deal
Rotowire
Brantly re-signed Saturday with the Yankees on a minor-league contract.
Upon clearing waivers Friday, Brantly declined his outright assignment to the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate at Scanton/Wilkes-Barre and opted for free agency, only to re-sign with the organization on a minor-league deal a day later. Though neither Jose Trevino nor Kyle Higashioka have performed at a high level as the Yankees' primary catchers this season, Brantly, a 32-year-old journeyman, won't be viewed as a solution behind the plate at the big-league level while the two backstops are both healthy and available.
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Yankees' Rob Brantly: Outrighted to Triple-A
Rotowire
Brantly was outrighted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.
Brantly was designated for assignment Wednesday, but he'll remain in the organization after going unclaimed on waivers. The backstop has hit .229 with a home run, four RBI and two runs over 14 games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this year.
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Yankees' Rob Brantly: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Brantly was designated for assignment by the Yankees on Wednesday.
The 32-year-old signed with the Yankees over the weekend as catching depth but has quickly been removed from the 40-man roster with Kyle Higashioka (illness) and Joey Gallo (illness) back from the COVID-19 injured list. Brantly appeared in one game during his brief time in the majors and went 1-for-3 with a double.
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Yankees' Rob Brantly: Called up from Triple-A
Rotowire
The Yankees signed Brantly to a minor-league deal and selected his contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre ahead of Sunday's doubleheader with the White Sox.
The Yankees freed up room for Brantly on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster by placing fellow backstop Kyle Higashioka (illness) on the COVID-19-related injured list. Jose Trevino is expected to serve as the Yankees' clear No. 1 catcher while Higashioka is on the shelf, so Brantly's opportunities with the Yankees will likely be limited. Brantly will likely start behind the plate in Game 2 of the twin bill, however, as Trevino is catching in Game 1.
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Yankees' Rob Brantly: Reinstated from injured list
Rotowire
Brantly (ankle) was reinstated from the 7-day minor-league injured list Friday, Conor Foley of The Scranton Times-Tribune reports.
Brantly was unavailable at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for a week and a half, but he's now been cleared to return to game action. The 32-year-old went 1-for-4 with a homer, two RBI, two walks and two strikeouts in his two Triple-A appearances prior to his injury.
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Yankees' Rob Brantly: Sidelined with ankle issue
Rotowire
Brantley was placed on Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's 7-day injured list Tuesday with an ankle issue, Conor Foley of The Scranton Times-Tribune reports.
The Triple-A club doesn't believe Brantly's injury is a long-term concern. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre already had two other catchers on the roster, so the affiliate is equipped to withstand Brantly's absence.
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Yankees' Rob Brantly: Back with Yankees on minors deal
Rotowire
Brantly signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Friday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
Brantly served as organizational depth for the Yankees last season, getting into six games. He's appeared in a grand total of 134 games in a major-league career that began back in 2012, and he's unlikely to add a considerable amount to that total next season.
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Rob Brantly: Elects free agency
Rotowire
Brantly elected free agency Friday.
He refused an outright assignment by the Yankees and will explore other options this offseason. Brantly is strictly a career third or fourth catcher at this stage of his career.
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Yankees' Rob Brantly: Outrighted to Triple-A
Rotowire
Brantly cleared waivers Friday and was outrighted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Brantly got into six major-league games this season after appearing in a combined two across the previous three campaigns. He'll remain as organizational depth going forward.
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Yankees' Rob Brantly: Contract selected
Rotowire
Brantly's contract was selected by the Yankees on Tuesday, and he'll be part of the team's wild-card roster.
Brantly has appeared in five major-league games this season, filling in when either Gary Sanchez or Kyle Higashioka landed on the COVID-19 injured list. He'll serve as the third catcher Tuesday, allowing the Yankees to use Sanchez as a pinch hitter while still having cover behind the plate for Higashioka, who's expected to catch for Gerrit Cole.
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Yankees' Rob Brantly: Returns to minors
Rotowire
Brantly was returned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday.
The 32-year-old had been with the major-league club as depth behind the dish since Aug. 5, and he went 1-for-5 with a strikeout in two appearances since then. Gary Sanchez is expected to return from the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, so Brantly will lose his spot on the active roster.
