Red Sox's Jett Bandy: Joins Boston for spring camp
Rotowire
The Red Sox signed Bandy to a minor-league contract Monday, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.
Bandy's deal includes an invitation to big-league spring training, giving the Red Sox another catcher while Kevin Plawecki remains on the COVID-19 injured list. Assuming Plawecki is fully healthy by the time Opening Day arrives, Bandy likely won't have a realistic chance at winning a backup catcher role with Boston. The 30-year-old last appeared in the big leagues in 2018 with the Brewers, slashing .188/.268/.266 in 71 plate appearances.
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Red Sox's Jett Bandy: Joins taxi squad
Rotowire
Bandy is in the Red Sox's 60-player pool and will be a member of the three-man taxi squad, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.
The 30-year-old will join Boston on its current road trip but isn't yet a member of the major-league roster. Bandy last appeared in the majors with the Brewers in 2018 and had a .534 OPS in 71 plate appearances.
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Red Sox's Jett Bandy: Signs with Red Sox
Rotowire
Bandy signed with Boston as a non-roster invitee Friday.
Bandy spent the 2019 campaign in the Rangers' organization but did not receive any big-league at-bats. In 156 career games at the highest level, he owns a .218/.282/.365 slash line, making him best suited for an organizational depth role.
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Rangers' Jett Bandy: Headed to minors
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Bandy will open the year at Triple-A Nashville, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports.
Bandy will provide catching depth for the Rangers, who are expected to deploy a combination of Jeff Mathis and Isiah Kiner-Falefa behind the dish in 2019. The soon-to-be 29-year-old owns a career .218/.282/.365 triple-slash across parts of four major-league seasons (156 games).
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Rangers' Jett Bandy: Agrees to minor-league deal
Rotowire
Bandy signed a one-year minor-league contract with Texas on Thursday, Gerry Fraley of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Bandy will provide some extra organizational depth for the Rangers after spending the past two seasons in Milwaukee's system. In 2018, he only played in 24 big-league games -- down from 60 the year before and 70 with the Angels in 2016 -- hitting just .188/.268/.266 with one home run and 23 strikeouts in 71 plate appearances. His numbers were much better at the Triple-A level, though that shouldn't come as a surprise considering Milwaukee's minor-league club was stationed at hitter-friendly Colorado Springs. Considering the Rangers only have Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Jose Trevino as catchers on the 40-man roster, adding Bandy to the mix makes sense.
Bandy was outrighted to Triple-A Colorado Springs on Friday.
Bandy was placed on waivers after being designated for assignment a week ago, but he was not claimed by any team so he will remain in the Brewers organization. Bandy has appeared in 84 games for the Brewers since the start of the 2017 season, so he will garner consideration next time the team decides to add a catcher from the minor-league ranks.
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Brewers' Jett Bandy: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Bandy was designated for assignment by Milwaukee on Friday.
He was removed from the 40-man roster after the Brewers made a trade for catcher Erik Kratz from the Yankees. Bandy struggled at the dish in 24 games, hitting .188 with one home run and one RBI.
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Brewers' Jett Bandy: Snaps hitless streak Sunday
Rotowire
Bandy went 1-for-3 in Sunday's loss to the Twins.
Bandy snapped an 0-for-12 slump with a single in his final at-bat Sunday. He continues to hold down the Brewers' backup catcher job, but he is hitting just .180 (11-for-61) this season and has started only four games in May, so his fantasy appeal is minimal.
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Brewers' Jett Bandy: Playing minimally these days
Rotowire
Bandy went 0-for-3 in Sunday's loss to the Pirates.
Bandy started nine times in a 10-game stretch in mid-April while regular catcher Manny Pina was on the disabled list; but he has been relegated to bench duty since Pina returned to action April 24, starting just three games since that date.
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Brewers' Jett Bandy: Temporary starting job ends
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Bandy is back on the bench Tuesday against the Royals as Manny Pina (calf) returns to action, Maria Torres of The Kansas City Star reports.
Bandy had started nine of 11 games while Pina was unavailable, but he'll now return to his customary backup role. He may only remain a backup for a few more weeks, though, with Stephen Vogt working his way back from his shoulder injury. Bandy hasn't done much to demand more playing time, hitting just .195/.283/.317.
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Brewers' Jett Bandy: Hits bench Sunday
Rotowire
Bandy is not in the lineup Sunday against the Marlins.
Bandy will receive a day off after making four consecutive starts behind the plate. The recently promoted Jacob Nottingham will draw the start at catcher and bat eighth in his absence.
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Brewers' Jett Bandy: Sits out Tuesday
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Bandy is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Reds.
Bandy has started the past five games and figures to be the primary catcher for the Brewers until Manny Pina (calf) is back in action. Jacob Nottingham will step in behind the plate in his absence to make his first big-league start.
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Brewers' Jett Bandy: Starting again Monday
Rotowire
Bandy will start at catcher Monday for the fifth game in a row.
Bandy has assumed all the starts behind the plate in the absence of Manny Pina (calf), and he will remain the Brewers' top catcher for at least a few more days with Pina landing on the disabled list. If Bandy needs a breather until Pina returns, Jacob Nottingham would get the nod in his place.
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Brewers' Jett Bandy: In Wednesday's lineup
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Bandy is in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals.
Bandy likely would have started Wednesday's game even if fellow catcher Manny Pina had not tweaked his calf in Tuesday's game, but regardless, he will start behind the plate for the fourth time this season. The Brewers do not seem concerned about Pina's status and have a team off day Thursday, so Pina could be back behind the plate for the club's next game Friday. If he is still feeling soreness in his calf, though, Bandy would almost certainly get the start again in his place.
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Brewers' Jett Bandy: Likely to open as backup catcher
Rotowire
Bandy is likely to open the season as the Brewers' backup catcher, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Stephen Vogt, who had been favored to win the backup job, is now expected to open the season on the disabled list with a strained shoulder. Bandy is out of options and is the only other catcher besides starter Manny Pina on Milwaukee's 40-man roster, so the job is his by default unless the Brewers bring in help from outside the organization. Bandy owns a .224/.285/.382 slash line in 132 career major-league games, so his fantasy value is limited, and he's not guaranteed to keep the job once Vogt recovers from his injury.
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Brewers' Jett Bandy: Jockeying for active roster spot
Rotowire
Bandy is competing to be the Brewers' backup catcher to start the season, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
When asked about the catching hierarchy at the start of camp, manager Craig Counsell was relatively cryptic. That said, he did acknowledge that the fact that Bandy is out of minor-league options could factor into the final roster decision. The 27-year-old came out of the gates hot last season, batting .327 in the month of April. Things fell apart afterward though, as he scuffled to the finish line with a .207 batting average. Manny Pina seems to be the frontrunner for primary catching duties heading into camp, and Stephen Vogt reportedly worked on his defense over the offseason to make him a more valuable asset, so cracking the big-league roster certainly won't be a cake walk for Bandy.
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Brewers' Jett Bandy: Activated from disabled list Saturday
Rotowire
Bandy (ribs) was reinstated from the 10-day DL on Saturday.
Bandy was able to compete in a few minor-league rehab games with Low-A Wisconsin earlier this week, and rejoins the team prior to Saturday's game against Washington. Although Bandy may not be at 100 percent, with Manny Pina dealing with a lingering hip issue, Bandy becomes the main backup to Stephen Vogt for the time being. Andrew Susac is also on the active roster, which gives Milwaukee four catchers at the moment. Once Pina is back as the everyday catcher, Bandy will fall back into a minimal role.
Bandy (ribs) will start his rehab assignment with Low-A Wisconsin on Thursday, The Brewer Nation reports.
The plan for Bandy appears as though he will DH during Thursday's game, and then make another appearance for the Timber Rattlers before moving on to Triple-A Colorado Springs for another pair of contests. If all goes well, there's a chance that Bandy will be ready to return to the big-league club, but it's likely that he won't be back in action with Milwaukee until mid-September at the earliest.
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Brewers' Jett Bandy: Targeting September return
Rotowire
Bandy (ribs) has a chance to resume hitting next week and could still return this season, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
He was out throwing Sunday and should increase activities in the coming days. Even if he is able to return in September, Bandy will likely be the third catcher behind Manny Pina and Stephen Vogt.
