The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed Tomas Telis to a Minor League contract, and he presumably will provide catching depth for the organization at the Triple-A Oklahoma City level.
Telis went into the offseason as a Minor League free agent and thus was eligible to sign during the ongoing MLB lockout. He’s the first such addition for the Dodgers this winter, compared to the likes of Matt Davidson (Arizona Diamondbacks) and Jesus Vargas (New York Mets) leaving the organization.
During parts of five seasons up with the Texas Rangers and Miami Marlins, Telis has hit a combined .230/.267/.298 with eight doubles, three triples, one home run and 24 RBI in 267 plate appearances over 122 games.
His biggest opportunity to this point came during the 2017 season, when Tellis appeared in 48 games for the Marlins. He hit .240/.279/.346 with five doubles, three triples and nine RBI over that span.
The Minnesota Twins called up Tellis this past season but he was optioned back to their alternate training site two days later and eventually assigned to Triple-A St. Paul. Telis hasn’t appeared in a Major League game since 2018 with the Marlins.
Dodgers catching depth
While Will Smith and Austin Barnes form a catching tandem at the MLB level, the Dodgers are short on options behind them with big league experience.
That has held true since Keibert Ruiz was traded to the Washington Nationals while Tim Federowicz was not with Oklahoma City because of playing for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics.
L.A. looked to fill the void by claiming Chad Wallach off waivers from the Marlins, but his time with the organization was brief. Wallach only appeared in one game for OKC before being lost to the L.A. Angels on a waiver claim.
The Dodgers signed Tony Wolters to finish out this past season, but he is among the organization’s Minor League free agents.
Telis figures to begin the 2022 season with Oklahoma City and be the first candidate to get called up if necessary. He’s a lifetime .306/.349/.426 hitter over parts of seven seasons at the Triple-A level.
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