Iannetta announced his retirement from baseball Saturday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
The 37-year-old calls it quits following a 14-year major-league career in which he spent time with the Rockies, Angels, Mariners and Diamondbacks. He'll retire with a wRC+ of exactly 100, the product of a .230/.345/.406 slash line. The veteran backstop finished with 820 hits, including 141 homers, on his resume. His career highlights include a trip to the World Series with the 2007 Rockies and catching Jered Weaver's no-hitter with the Angels in 2012.
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Yankees' Chris Iannetta: Lands on restricted list
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Iannetta was placed on the restricted list Friday, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports.
No reason was given for the move. Iannetta was DFA'd and subsequently assigned to the Yankees' alternate training site at the start of the month, though it's unclear if he ever reported. The veteran began the season on the active roster but did not get into any contests.
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Yankees' Chris Iannetta: Outrighted to alternate site
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Iannetta cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Yankees' alternate training site Tuesday, Randy Miller of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.
The 37-year-old was designated for assignment by New York over the weekend, and he'll remain in the organization after going unclaimed on waivers. Iannetta will continue to provide catching depth in the 60-player pool.
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Yankees' Chris Iannetta: Designated for assignment
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Iannetta was designated for assignment by the Yankees on Saturday.
Iannetta served as a third catcher for the Yankees to begin the season since rosters were expanded to 30 players, but he'll be removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Masahiro Tanaka (concussion), who was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move. The catcher didn't appear in any of the Yankees' first six games of the 2020 campaign. Given the 37-year-old's lack of production over his career, it's unlikely that he'll be claimed off waivers.
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Yankees' Chris Iannetta: Opens season in majors
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Iannetta signed a major-league deal with the Yankees on Tuesday.
The veteran backstop was unlikely to earn an Opening Day roster spot in spring training, but the Yankees will take advantage of the expanded 30-man roster to carry a third catcher. Iannetta is unlikely to see significant opportunities with Gary Sanchez locked in as the starter and Kyle Higashioka as the top backup behind the plate.
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Yankees' Chris Iannetta: Claims spot on 60-man roster
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Iannetta has been named to the Yankees' 60-man player pool.
The veteran catcher looks to be third on the Yankees' catching depth chart for the upcoming season, which could earn him some playing time given Gary Sanchez's recent injury history and the uncertain outlook of the upcoming campaign. At the least, Iannetta should find himself traveling with the team as part of their three-man road taxi squad since MLB rules dictate that at least one catcher must be included.
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Yankees' Chris Iannetta: Unlikely to land roster spot
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Iannetta is expected to be edged out for the Yankees' No. 2 catcher role by Kyle Higashioka, George A. King III of the New York Post reports.
The Yankees signed Iannetta to a minor-league contract in early January and brought him to camp as a non-roster invitee. While the veteran performed well this spring, hitting .400 (8-for-20) with three doubles and eight walks, Higashioka impressed as well with a .276 average (8-for-29) and a trio of home runs. That Grapefruit League production, combined with his tenure with the organization and lack of minor-league options, appears to have earned Higashioka the opportunity to back up Gary Sanchez to begin the campaign.
Yankees' Chris Iannetta: Gets minor-league deal with Yankees
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Iannetta signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Thursday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.
The 36-year-old appeared in 52 major-league games for the Rockies last season, but he was designated for assignment in August after struggling both defensively and at the plate. Given Iannetta's past experience, he'll likely be a non-roster invitee for spring training.
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Rockies' Chris Iannetta: Designated for assignment
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Iannetta was designated for assignment by the Rockies on Tuesday, Jenny Cavnar of AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain reports.
The move didn't come as a surprise since the veteran has struggled defensively this season and has had a subpar year at the plate, recording a slash line of .222/.311/.417 with 54 strikeouts. The Rockies selected the contract of catcher Dom Nunez in a corresponding move.
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Rockies' Chris Iannetta: Expected to lose roster spot
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The Rockies are expected to designate Iannetta for assignment prior to Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports.
Colorado plans to call up Dom Nunez from Triple-A Albuquerque to take Iannetta's spot as the backup behind top catcher Tony Wolters. Though Iannetta was valued last season for his game-calling skills and framing, he's taken a step back by most defensive metrics in 2019 and hasn't made up for the difference with the bat, as his 18 wRC+ is his worst mark for any year in which he's logged at least 100 plate appearances. Once he's removed from the 40-man roster, Iannetta seems likely to go unclaimed off waivers and could ultimately opt for free agency.
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Rockies' Chris Iannetta: Two starts in three games
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Iannetta will start at catcher and bat eighth Wednesday against the Astros, Alyson Footer of MLB.com reports.
Iannetta will pick up his second start in three games, but he'll likely need to turn in an extended stretch of quality performances before seriously threatening Tony Wolters' perch atop the catching depth chart. The 36-year-old sports a meager .715 OPS on the season and is slashing a putrid .088/.184/.118 since the All-Star break.
Iannetta connected for a two-run home run in his only at-bat against Arizona on Sunday.
Iannetta came on as a defensive replacement in the sixth inning and took advantage of his only at-bat in the eighth, belting a 407-foot homer to plate the Rockies' first two runs of the game. The blast was his first since June 1 -- partly a reflection of minimal playing time. On the season, the 13-year veteran is slashing .252/.345/.505 with six homers and 21 runs batted in.
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Rockies' Chris Iannetta: Seeing light playing time
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Iannetta is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Dodgers, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.
Iannetta maintains a stellar .303/.415/.455 batting line in June, but his improved performance hasn't helped him recapture playing time. No. 1 backstop Tony Wolters will stick behind the plate for the second straight game while Iannetta heads to the bench. Iannetta has cracked the lineup just five times in the Rockies' last 18 games.
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Rockies' Chris Iannetta: Swats fifth home run
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Iannetta went 2-for-3 with a homer, a double, two RBI and a walk in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Blue Jays.
Iannetta doubled in a run in the third inning before sending a 476-foot solo blast to extend his team's lead. It's a small sample size of just 78 plate appearances, but the 36-year-old catcher owns a .926 OPS alongside 12 extra-base hits in 2019.
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Rockies' Chris Iannetta: Back to bench
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Iannetta is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.
Iannetta had started the previous two contests while Tony Wolters (hand) tended to an injury, going 2-for-6 with a home run between those games. Though Iannetta has supplied a 1.045 OPS in a small sample of plate appearances since returning from the injured list in early May, Wolters has fared similarly well at the dish lately and is valued for his skills as a pitch framer. So long as his health is intact, Wolters should continue to stick ahead of Iannetta on the depth chart.
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Rockies' Chris Iannetta: Homers in win
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Iannetta went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Colorado's 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.
The veteran backstop left the yard for the fourth time this season, touching up Merrill Kelly with a two-run blast in the seventh inning. He missed some time earlier in the season with a lat injury, but Iannetta has swung the bat well over his 60 at-bats, as this performance leaves him with a .267/.353/.567 slash line.
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Rockies' Chris Iannetta: Hammers third homer
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Iannetta went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 9-6 loss to the Orioles.
Iannetta has struggled to get playing time since returning from a lat injury more than three weeks ago, appearing in only eight games (versus 11 for fellow catcher Tony Wolters). He's 8-for-27 with two homers and five RBI in those contests but will likely continue to get the short end of the platoon.
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Rockies' Chris Iannetta: May be No. 2 catcher
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Iannetta is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.
Iannetta was expected to recapture primary catching duties upon returning from the 10-day injured list May 3, but that hasn't come to fruition. He'll find himself on the bench for the third straight game, a development that's especially noteworthy with the Rockies having faced lefty starting pitchers in each of those contests. Rather than rolling with the right-handed Iannetta for those matchups, the Rockies have turned to the lefty-hitting Tony Wolters, who has delivered three hits and two RBI between the first two games of the series.
