The Rays have acquired catcher Travis d’Arnaud from the Dodgers, per an official announcement on Friday. The Dodgers will receive cash considerations in the deal and are expected to recall a catcher to fill d’Arnaud’s roster spot. The Rays, meanwhile, have yet to announce a corresponding move, though they intend to place d’Arnaud on the 25-man roster sometime prior to Saturday’s game against the Yankees.
The 30-year-old d’Arnaud didn’t last long in Los Angeles. After getting released by the Mets at the beginning of the month, he inked a one-year contract with the Dodgers last Sunday and made just one official appearance for the team, going 0-for-1 in a pinch-hit opportunity during their 6-0 loss to the Nationals on Thursday night. He’s batting a woeful .083/.154/.083 with two hits, two RBI, and two walks in 26 PA so far this year.
Still, the Rays need a warm body behind the plate after losing Michael Pérez to right oblique tightness on Tuesday and Mike Zunino to a left quad strain on Wednesday. Until the club’s catching duo returns to the lineup, d’Arnaud is almost guaranteed to see regular starts ahead of the only other healthy backups on the roster, rookies Nick Ciuffo and Anthony Bemboom.