St. Louis Cardinals Lose Eric Fryer on Waivers to Pittsburgh Pirates
The St. Louis Cardinals lost Eric Fryer on the waiver wire Sunday, which seemed almost inevitable considering his spectacular run as the Redbirds’ backup.
As SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo first reported on Sunday, catcher Eric Fryer has been claimed on waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Fryer was designated for assignment by the St. Louis Cardinals earlier this week when they activated Brayan Peña from the 15-day disabled list. Peña was expected to be the Cards’ backup before a knee injury sidelined him for the season’s first three months, but Fryer’s fantastic performance at least made the backup catcher swap controversial.
For some reason, Fryer was given very sparse action behind the plate, even as 33-year-old Yadier Molina obviously regressed due to the fatigue that comes with starting nearly every day. Fryer absolutely made the most of the opportunity that he was given, though, hitting .368/.415/.421 in 41 plate appearances with the Cardinals.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, Fryer has gotten a fair amount of opportunities before at the major-league level as an emergency backup, so he was out of minor-league options and couldn’t be sent down without being exposed to the waiver wire. While the Cardinals were reportedly “strongly hoping” that Fryer would go unclaimed, it seemed very unlikely considering Fryer’s strong start and the significant lack of quality catching depth around the major leagues.
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As we predicted earlier this week, the Pirates continued their common practice of using the waiver wire to address depth needs. Fryer will provide an upgrade behind the plate for a Pirates team that has been missing their starting catcher, Francisco Cervelli, since he went on the DL with a broken hamate bone on June 11 and has also been unable to rely on their backup, Chris Stewart, who has dealt with ankle, knee, and foot injuries over the past month. It’s unknown whether Fryer’s arrival will send Stewart to the disabled list or spell the end of Erik Kratz‘s brief Pirates tenure. The 36-year-old Kratz has hit .095 in 42 at-bats with Pittsburgh.
Fryer will begin his second stint with the Pirates organization. He made his major-league debut with Pittsburgh in 2011, and he went on to play 16 games with them over two seasons before moving on to the Minnesota Twins organization.
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Even though the Cardinals will be without Fryer as a replacement option if Peña or Molina get hurt, they’re still in pretty good shape in terms of catching depth. They’ve got longtime big-leaguer Michael McKenry playing at Triple-A, and he’s backed up by Alberto Rosario, a minor-league journeyman who has been raved about by pitchers such as Sam Tuivailala for his game-calling ability. The Cardinals’ Double-A catchers–their top catching prospect, Carson Kelly, and 40-man roster member Mike Ohlman–could also be candidates to contribute at the major-league level this year if the organization’s depth ends up being tested due to injuries.