Rupp joined the team on a minor-league deal back in February but wasn't part of the team's player pool throughout summer camp. He'll report to Cleveland's alternate training site and will give the organization added depth behind the plate with Roberto Perez out with a shoulder strain.
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Indians' Cameron Rupp: Signs minors deal with Cleveland
Rotowire
Rupp joined Cleveland as a non-roster invitee Friday, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Rupp's career .243/.298/.407 slash line in 296 big-league games looks good enough for him to at least contend for a backup catcher spot, but he's spent time with five different organizations over the last two seasons and failed to return to the majors with any of them. He looks to be minor-league depth behind Roberto Perez and Sandy Leon this season but could potentially make the major-league roster if one of that pair gets injured.
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Athletics' Cameron Rupp: Gets minor-league deal from Oakland
Rotowire
Rupp signed a minor-league contract with the Athletics on Saturday and was assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas.
Rupp will provide Oakland with extra depth behind the plate in the high minors while top catching prospect Sean Murphy (knee) works back from a torn meniscus. Oakland has received decent production from Josh Phegley and Nick Hundley at the big-league level this season and could get Chris Herrmann (knee) back from the injured list in a couple weeks, so Rupp may have a tough time earning a promotion to the majors even if he performs well in his initial action with Las Vegas.
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Cameron Rupp: Released by Tigers
Rotowire
Rupp was released by the Tigers on Monday.
Rupp is still just 30 years old, and there are many catchers with career slash lines worse than his .234/.298/.407 who have major-league jobs, but he hasn't been able to get into a big-league game since 2017. He hasn't had the best of auditions at the Triple-A level, where he's hit a modest .229/.322/.413 in 107 games with four different organizations since the start of 2018.
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Tigers' Cameron Rupp: Accepts assignment to minors
Rotowire
Rupp accepted an assignment to Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday.
Rupp was the odd man out in the Tigers' catcher contest, falling third behind Grayson Greiner and John Hicks. He'll head to the minors and wait for an injury to open up playing time.
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Tigers' Cameron Rupp: Won't make roster
Rotowire
Rupp will not be on the Tigers' Opening Day roster, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
The Tigers evidently saw no reason to carry a third catcher behind Grayson Greiner and John Hicks. The team will attempt to send Rupp to Triple-A Toledo, though he has the right to refuse an assignment and become a free agent.
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Tigers' Cameron Rupp: Heading to Detroit
Rotowire
Rupp was traded from the Giants to the Tigers for cash considerations Friday, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Rupp was in Giants' camp as a non-roster invitee but didn't have a clear path to a roster spot. He'd have to beat out John Hicks for a job in Detroit, though the Tigers could carry three catchers as Hicks is expected to spend time at first base. Rupp was stuck in the minors last season but owns a respectable (for a catcher) .234/.298/.407 line over parts of five seasons in the big leagues.
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Giants' Cameron Rupp: Latches on with Giants
Rotowire
Rupp signed a minor-league contract with the Giants on Friday which includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Heyman of FancredSports.com reports.
The Giants obviously have one of the best catchers in the game in Buster Posey, though he's caught fewer than 100 games in each of the last two years, so whoever becomes his backup could make a fair amount of starts. Rupp owns a career .234/.298/.407 line in 296 games, numbers which don't excite but which are perfectly adequate for a backup catcher. He was stuck in Triple-A for the entirety of last season, spending time with three different organizations. He'll primarily be battling Aramis Garcia, who hit .286/.308/.492 in a 19-game cameo last season, for a roster spot.
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Mariners' Cameron Rupp: Inks minor-league deal
Rotowire
Rupp signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Monday.
Rupp was let go by the Twins on Wednesday, but he quickly latched on with his next team. He'll report to Triple-A Tacoma after hitting .226 with 17 extra-base hits and 32 RBI through 52 games at Triple-A Rochester. Rupp hasn't appeared in the big leagues since 2017 with the Phillies.
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Cameron Rupp: Let go Wednesday
Rotowire
Rupp was cut by the Twins on Wednesday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.
Rupp appeared in 52 games for Triple-A Rochester in 2018, putting together a .226/.316/.446 slash line with 11 homers and 32 RBI. He'll look to latch on elsewhere following his release.
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Twins' Cameron Rupp: Signs with Twins
Rotowire
Rupp inked a minor-league deal with Minnesota on Monday, ESPN's Darren Wolfson reports.
Rupp was released by the Rangers on Saturday, but he's already caught on with a new team. He'll be sent to Triple-A Rochester. During his last stint in the major leagues (which came in 2017 with the Phillies), Rupp hit .217 with 14 home runs and 34 RBI over 88 games. If he performs well in the minors, he could get an opportunity to earn playing time at the big-league level. Bobby Wilson is currently the only healthy catcher, with Mitch Garver (quadriceps) listed as day-to-day and Jason Castro (knee) set to miss the rest of the season.
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Cameron Rupp: Let go by Texas
Rotowire
The Rangers released Rupp on Saturday.
After failing to win a roster spot with the Phillies in spring training, Rupp was cut loose and quickly landed a minor-league deal from Texas. Despite the Rangers' lack of quality catching depth, Rupp was unable to muscle his way onto the big-league roster, despite hitting a respectable .274/.346/.540 over 130 plate appearances with Triple-A Round Rock. Rupp shouldn't have much trouble landing an opportunity elsewhere, with the Twins among the organizations that have already reached out to the 29-year-old, according to Darren Wolfson of Channel 5 Saint Paul.
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Rangers' Cameron Rupp: Inks MiLB pact with Texas
Rotowire
Rupp agreed to a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old backstop was released by the Phillies after an uninspiring spring showing, as he tallied just seven hits in 37 at-bats (.189 batting average). He does have a bit of power that makes up for his low .234 career batting average, but it's unlikely that he'll get regular playing time in Arlington unless Robinson Chirinos or Juan Centeno incurs an injury. Rupp will begin his Rangers tenure with their Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock.
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Cameron Rupp: Released by Phillies
Rotowire
Rupp was released by the Phillies on Monday, Stephen Gross of the Morning Call reports.
Rupp had been an adequate but unremarkable catcher for the Phillies over parts of the last five seasons, hitting .234/.298/.407 in 296 games. It's enough to make him worthy of another major-league job, but it wasn't enough for the Phillies to keep him on their major-league roster over their pair of younger, more promising catchers, Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp. Rupp has a good shot at landing on a major-league roster, though his fantasy value will depend on the quality of the catcher he ends up competing with. If he falls into a decent amount of playing time, he should provide a bit of power to offset his low batting average, as he hit 14 homers in 88 games last season.
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Phillies' Cameron Rupp: Cast off 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Phillies designated Rupp for assignment Sunday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
It became apparent earlier in the spring that the Phillies intended to proceed with Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp as their two catchers once camp broke, so the team will now remove Rupp from its 40-man roster after failing to find a trade partner for the backstop. The Phillies will still have up to 10 days to try and trade Rupp, but if no deal emerges, he'll likely be exposed to waivers and could be claimed by another club looking to add experienced catching depth to its stable.
The Phillies have been shopping Rupp to other teams during spring training, two sources informed Matt Gelb of The Athletic Philadelphia.
After serving as the Phillies' Opening Day catcher in 2017, Rupp fell to third on the organizational depth chart at the position before the end of the season following the graduations of Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp to the big leagues. In addition to the added competition behind the plate, Rupp saw his offensive performance dip last season, hitting just .217 while striking out in a career-high 34.4 percent of his plate appearances. Rupp isn't a special defender either, so it's unlikely he would get the opportunity to compete for a No. 1 role if he lands with a new club before the start of the season.
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Phillies' Cameron Rupp: Will fight for backup catching duties
Rotowire
Rupp is expected to compete with Andrew Knapp for Philadelphia's backup catching role, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Rupp showed great power in 2017 with 14 home runs and 34 RBI, but struggled to hit for average -- he slashed .217/.299/.417 in 295 at-bats. He'll need to show he's capable behind the dish during spring training and continue to display power at the plate if he hopes to beat out Knapp. Both catchers have minor-league options remaining, so either player could begin the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
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Phillies' Cameron Rupp: Avoids arbitration
Rotowire
Rupp agreed to a one-year, $2.05 million contract with the Phillies on Wednesday, avoiding arbitration, Matt Gelb of the Philly Inquirer reports.
Rupp slashed .217/.299/.417 with 14 home runs and 34 RBI in 88 games for the Phillies last season. The catcher will likely take on a reserve role in 2018, as Jorge Alfaro is assumed to hold down the starting spot. With Andrew Knapp also on the roster, Rupp may receive even less playing time, but that will depend on new manager Gabe Kapler's stance on keeping two or three active catchers. For fantasy purposes, Rupp is unlikely to make much of an impact barring an injury to Alfaro, and could be competing for a roster spot come spring training.
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Phillies' Cameron Rupp: Strikes out three times Wednesday
Rotowire
Rupp went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in an 8-1 win over the Marlins on Wednesday.
Rupp has made just five starts in September and his playing time is going to continue to be limited with the Phillies looking to get Jorge Alfaro at-bats as they evaluate him with an eye toward next season. Rupp is a candidate to be traded this offseason with Alfaro and Andrew Knapp expected to split catching duties next season.
