Nationals' Luis Torrens: Signs minors deal with Nats
Rotowire
Torrens signed a minor-league contract Thursday with the Nationals.
Torrens will join the roster at Triple-A Rochester. The 27-year-old catcher slashed .250/.318/.300 over 13 major-league games earlier this season with the Cubs before then spending less than a week in the Orioles organization. He's a career .227/.289/.352 hitter in the bigs.
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Luis Torrens: Hits open market
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Torrens elected free agency after clearing waivers Sunday, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
Rather than sticking around in the Baltimore organization at Triple-A Norfolk, Torrens will seek a fresh start elsewhere after he was moved off the 40-man roster earlier this month. After being acquired in a trade with the Cubs on May 3, Torrens didn't appear in any games for the Orioles during his six-day stint in the majors.
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Orioles' Luis Torrens: Moved off 40-man roster
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The Orioles designated Torrens for assignment Tuesday.
Baltimore just acquired Torrens from the Cubs last week in exchange for cash considerations, but he's now been removed from both the 26-man and 40-man rosters. The 27-year-old catcher did not appear in a game during his short time with the O's.
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Orioles' Luis Torrens: Traded to Orioles
Rotowire
The Orioles acquired Torrens from the Cubs on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Torrens will move on to the fifth different organization of his career after the Cubs designated him for assignment last week. Since the 27-year-old journeyman catcher doesn't have any minor-league options remaining, he'll eventually have to be added to the Orioles' 26-man active roster. Once activated, Torrens will serve as a No. 3 backstop behind Adley Rutschman and James McCann, and as a possible depth option at first base or designated hitter.
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Cubs' Luis Torrens: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Torrens was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Friday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
The 26-year-old backstop put together a .618 OPS across 22 plate appearances and becomes a roster casualty following the reinstatement of Cody Bellinger from the paternity list Friday. Torrens could draw interest from teams in search of organizational depth behind the plate.
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Cubs' Luis Torrens: Slots in as DH
Rotowire
Torrens is starting as the designated hitter and batting seventh in Sunday's game against the Dodgers.
Torrens has appeared in 12 games so far and has looked good with his limited chances, slashing .313/./389/.375 across 16 at-bats. He's been better against lefties than righties during his career, so the matchup Sunday against Los Angeles starter Clayton Kershaw makes sense. Torrens will likely slide back to the bench in the team's next game Tuesday.
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Cubs' Luis Torrens: Gets start as DH
Rotowire
Torrens is the designated hitter and batting eighth for Sunday's game against the Brewers, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Torrens has shown a propensity for hitting southpaws better than righties throughout his career, and he could see regular playing time against left-handed pitching if he gets off to a strong start to begin 2023. It's his first time in the starting lineup as a member of the Cubs.
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Cubs' Luis Torrens: Selected to CHC roster
Rotowire
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. Seattle 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.
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Luis Torrens: Non-tendered by Seattle
Rotowire
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.
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Mariners' Luis Torrens: Slugs first homer
Rotowire
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.
