Just a day after a season-opening loss to the Texas Rangers and not long after cutting ties with depth backstop Jorge Alfaro, the Chicago Cubs have inked veteran catcher Curt Casali to a minor league deal, according to the club's official transaction log.
Casali, 35, spent spring training with the Miami Marlins and was granted release from the club earlier this week after not being named to the Opening Day roster.
The veteran backstop has appeared in MLB games in each of the past 10 seasons, having played with the Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
A career .220/.314/.380 hitter, Casali appeared in 40 games with the Reds in 2023, going 14-for-80 with two doubles, six RBI and 11 walks. Casali was just 1-for-17 in nine spring training games with the Marlins.
Though mostly underwhelming with the bat for much of his career, Casali has posted 4.2 defensive WAR over 502 career games, giving the North Siders solid defensive depth behind Yan Gomes and Miguel Amaya.
According to Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register, Casali will report to Triple-A Iowa and start the season with the Iowa Cubs.
Cubs News
The Cubs will take on the Texas Rangers in Arlington Saturday evening, with Kyle Hendricks on the mound facing off against Texas starter Cody Bradford. First pitch is slated for 6:05 p.m.