Torrens had his contract selected from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
The 26-year-old will open the 2023 regular season as the third catcher for the Cubs, behind the platoon of Tucker Barnhart and Yan Gomes. Torrens batted just .225/.283/.298 over 166 major-league plate appearances last year with the Mariners, who non-tendered him in November.
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Cubs' Luis Torrens: Expected to make roster
Rotowire
Torrens is expected to make the Cubs' Opening Day roster, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.
Tucker Barnhart and Yan Gomes will be 1B and 1B at catcher for the Cubs, but the team wants to keep Torrens around as a third catcher and designated hitter option. The 26-year-old has a 1.172 OPS with two homers this spring but has just a career .642 OPS over parts of five major-league seasons.
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Cubs' Luis Torrens: Goes deep twice Tuesday
Rotowire
Torrens went 2-for-2 with two solo home runs in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Rangers.
The power display was a bit unexpected, as Torrens had only three home runs in 151 at-bats with Seattle last season. However, the veteran backstop did go deep 15 times in 2021, so he has shown off some pop in his career. Torrens is likely third in Chicago's catching pecking order behind Yan Gomes and Tucker Barnhart, so his fantasy value will be limited unless he's able to move up the depth chart. He's on a minor-league deal and could start the year with Triple-A Iowa, though the Cubs may decide to carry three catchers in the early going.
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Cubs' Luis Torrens: Finds work with North Siders
Rotowire
Torrens signed Wednesday with the Cubs on a minor-league deal that includes an invitation to MLB spring training.
The Cubs will enter spring training with veterans Yan Gomes and Tucker Barnhart entrenched as the team's top two backstops, but Torrens could have an opportunity to break camp with the big club if Chicago elects to carry three catchers into Opening Day or if Gomes or Barnhart succumbs to an injury. Torrens logged 166 plate appearances in the big leagues with the Mariners in 2022, slashing .225/.283/.298 with three home runs, 15 RBI and 13 runs.
The Mariners declined to tender Torrens a contract for 2023, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.
With that, Torrens is now a free agent. He took a sizable step backward at the plate last season, with his OPS falling nearly 150 points to .581.
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Mariners' Luis Torrens: Slugs homer in finale
Rotowire
Torrens went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's win over the Tigers.
Torrens put Seattle on top 4-3 with a homer off lefty starter Tyler Alexander with one out in the sixth inning. The catcher particularly struggled in road games during 2022, posting a .525 OPS over 84 plate appearances compared to a .638 OPS over 82 plate appearances at home.
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Mariners' Luis Torrens: Belts pinch-hit homer in return
Rotowire
Torrens, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Tacoma earlier in the day, hit a pinch-hit, solo home run in a loss to the Athletics on Wednesday.
The veteran was summoned to hit for Abraham Toro with two out in the eighth inning and put the Mariners' only run of the game on the board via a 376-foot solo shot to right field. Torrens hit well for the Rainiers after he was outrighted to the Triple-A club on Aug. 14, and Wednesday's homer pushed his major-league slash line this year to .220/.268/.280 across 142 plate appearances.
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Mariners' Luis Torrens: Contract selected Wednesday
Rotowire
Torrens' contract was selected from Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday.
Torrens was cast off the Mariners' 40-man roster in mid-August and slashed .279/.324/.508 with three home runs, five doubles, 15 RBI and seven runs over 16 games in the minors following his demotion. He'll provide additional catching depth for the Mariners since Cal Raleigh (thumb) is day-to-day.
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Mariners' Luis Torrens: Outrighted to Triple-A
Rotowire
Torrens cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday.
Torrens was designated for assignment Thursday but will remain in the organization after he went unclaimed on waivers. He hit .214 with a home run, 10 RBI and nine runs over 46 games during his time in the majors to begin the season.
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Mariners' Luis Torrens: Cast off roster
Rotowire
Torrens was designated for assignment Thursday, Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 710 AM reports.
Torrens showed flashes at the plate in 2021, but he struggled to a .214/.262/.252 line across 141 plate appearances prior to losing his roster spot this season. Curt Casali -- who the Mariners acquired at the trade deadline -- was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move and should serve as the backup catcher to starter Cal Raleigh.
Torrens went 2-for-4 with a solo home run during a loss to the Angels in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday.
The veteran squared up for a 405-foot shot to right field off Reid Detmers in the fifth inning, his first home run since Sept. 23 of last season. Torrens' multi-hit effort was also his first since June 10, as he's spent time on the injured list with a shoulder issue and also lost out on plenty of playing time to Cal Raleigh behind the dish since then.
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Mariners' Luis Torrens: Sparse opportunity since activation
Rotowire
Torrens has logged just 12 plate appearances across six games since being activated from the injured list July 9.
Torrens had started in three of the last four games before his placement on the IL due to a shoulder injury, but the Mariners have given Cal Raleigh the bulk of playing time behind the dish in recent weeks. Even the Mariners' current rash of injuries to other position players hasn't served to open up much opportunity at designated hitter for Torrens, who's carrying a .208/.262/.225 slash line over 42 games this season.
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Mariners' Luis Torrens: Activated from injured list
Rotowire
Torrens (shoulder) was activated off the injured list Saturday, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.
Shoulder inflammation had kept Torrens sidelined since late June, but he's ready to go after just a single rehab game. He'll back up Cal Raleigh behind the plate, with Andrew Knapp getting designated for assignment to clear a roster spot.
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Mariners' Luis Torrens: Begins rehab assignment
Rotowire
Torrens (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Tacoma on Friday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
Torrens has been on the injured list since June 27 but took batting practice ahead of Thursday's game against the Blue Jays. Since he's returning to game action in the minors Friday, it seems likely that he'll be able to return from the IL this weekend or early next week.
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Mariners' Luis Torrens: Nearing rehab assignment
Rotowire
Manager Scott Servais said Thursday that Torrens (shoulder) is close to beginning a rehab assignment, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
Torrens took early batting practice prior to Thursday's game against the Blue Jays and is close to returning to game action with a minor-league affiliate. If he's able to begin a rehab assignment in the coming days, it's possible he'll be cleared to rejoin the Mariners shortly before the All-Star break.
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Mariners' Luis Torrens: Suffers shoulder injury
Rotowire
Torrens was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday with a left shoulder injury, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
The exact nature and severity of the injury is unclear, but it apparently occurred during Sunday's benches-clearing brawl against the Angels. Andrew Knapp was called up to fill Torrens' spot as the backup catcher behind Cal Raleigh.
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Mariners' Luis Torrens: Solid play continues Thursday
Rotowire
Torrens, who went 1-for-3 in a win over the Athletics on Thursday, is now hitting .294 (5-for-17) over his last five games.
The beginning of that stretch actually dates back to June 12, as Torrens continues to see only intermittent playing time while Cal Raleigh sees his opportunities expand behind the dish. With the news Tom Murphy (shoulder) will miss the rest of the season, however, Torrens should be assured of at least a serviceable amount of playing time for the balance of the campaign.
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Mariners' Luis Torrens: First three-hit game of season
Rotowire
Torrens went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and one run scored in Thursday's victory over the Orioles.
Torrens singled in each of his first three at-bats, including an RBI knock in the sixth off Orioles reliever Joey Krehbiel. It was the catcher's third multi-hit game and first three-hit game of the season. Torrens is currently slashing .222/.289/.524 and is battling for playing time with Cal Raleigh.
