Derek Norris and Jarrod Saltalamacchia Reassigned to Minor League Camp
The Detroit Tigers sent two catchers to minor league camp Thursday: Derek Norris and Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Both catchers signed with Detroit this offseason on minor league contracts with invitations to spring training. It was expected that Norris would at least compete for a spot on the big league roster, but he missed the cut. Norris is a career .230 hitter who hit a career-best 14 HR in both 2015 and 2016. Saltalamacchia spent 2016 with the Tigers and started off hot before fizzling to post a .171 batting average on the season. Either (or both) of them could end up in Detroit at some point this season, but don't count on them being fantasy-relevant for any purpose.
Veteran free-agent catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia signed a minor league deal with the Tigers on Friday, joining an already crowded mix of catchers at Tigers camp. Detroit already has James McCann and John Hicks slated for the big league roster and veterans Brayan Pena and Derek Norris along for the ride as well. Salty spent most of 2017 in the Blue Jays minor league system but did play in 2016 for the Tigers, where he got off to a sizzling start before ultimately floundering to a .171 average with 12 home runs on the year.
