Anthony Bemboom On Injured List, Rays Acquire Erik Kratz
The Tampa Bay Rays placed catcher Anthony Bemboom (knee) on the 10-day injured list on Thursday with a left knee sprain and also acquired catcher Erik Kratz from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for a player to be named or cash considerations. Kratz, 38, will join the team on Friday after being designated for assignment by the Giants on May 13. He started the year hitting .125 (4-for-32) and has a .208 career average in the majors. Kratz should serve as the backup to Travis D'Arnaud with Mike Zunino, Michael Perez and Bemboom sidelined. You can ignore Kratz for fantasy purposes.
The San Francisco Giants acquired catcher Erik Kratz from the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday in exchange for minor league infielder C.J. Hinojosa. The 38-year-old Kratz was third on Milwaukee's catching depth chart in spring training, but he could be the backup to Buster Posey in San Francisco. Hinojosa is a versatile defender with good contact skills and will likely be assigned to Double-A Biloxi. Kratz can be ignored from a fantasy standpoint.
The Milwaukee Brewers avoided arbitration with catcher Erik Kratz by agreeing to a one-year deal with him on Tuesday. Kratz will be 39 next June and hit .236/.280/.355 with just six home runs and 23 RBI in 67 games in a part-time role with the Brew Crew in 2018. He could once again be in a platoon behind the dish in 2019, but he's not much of a fantasy option, even in NL-only leagues.
Milwaukee Brewers infielder Travis Shaw and catcher Erik Kratz are both in the starting lineup for Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against Dodgers left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu. Shaw is playing second base and hitting sixth, while Kratz is behind the plate and is hitting seventh. Neither player has ever faced Ryu. Shaw hit just .209/.303/.296 with two of his 32 homers against southpaws, so he's a weak DFS play against a pitcher who has been excellent all year. Kratz hit just .236/.280/.355 on the year with six homers in 203 at-bats, so he's a lotto ticket in DFS.
Milwaukee Brewers catcher Erik Kratz stepped up to land the last blow Friday in NLDS Game 2. In the eighth inning with the Brewers up 2-0, Kratz would single in two more runs. At the time, it felt like a big hit because the day before, the Rockies had scored twice in the ninth inning to tie the game at 2-2. Jeremy Jeffress would finish off the 4-0 victory so perhaps the runs didn't change the outcome but it is hard to be sure. Kratz is really not a regular factor but on Friday, he did his part.
Milwaukee Brewers catcher Erik Kratz went 2-for-4 in the 3-1 loss to the Cleveland Indians. In four starts so far for Kratz, he has amassed two hits in each game and is hitting at a .500 pace in 16 at-bats. While it's still a very small sample size, Kratz has proven to be exactly what the Brewers needed from their backup catcher. He most likely won't get starts over Manny Pina due to Pina's defensive ability, but Kratz could prove to be a solid addition in two-catcher formats if he continues to hit at a similar rate.
Milwaukee Brewers catcher Erik Kratz went 2-for-3 with a run in the 3-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Kratz was acquired from the New York Yankees in exchange for cash, and so far he has been what the Brewers needed in the backup catcher role. While the sample size is small, he's gone 4-for-8 in two games with a 1.431 OPS. He should be added in two-catcher leagues, however, he won't get starts in favor of Manny Pina due to his excellent defense.
Milwaukee Brewers catcher Erik Kratz went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a single in the 17-6 win over the New York Mets. Kratz was acquired on Friday in exchange for a PTBNL or cash with the purpose of backing up Manny Pina at catcher. Kratz was given the start today and delivered a solo home run, overall looking great at the plate in his debut with the Brewers. With Manny Pina being one of the league's best defensive catchers, Kratz most certainly won't get starting time anytime soon, however, this is encouraging for the organization. He should not be owned in any formats.
Former New York Yankees catcher Erik Kratz has been traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. In a corresponding move, Jett Bandy has been designated for assignment. In 52 at-bats with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Kratz is hitting .269 with a .894 OPS. The way it looks right now, Kratz will serve as the Brewers backup catcher. He won't hold any fantasy value.