NY Post · Jun 25, 2018
The catcher Yankees would’ve called up is thriving elsewhere
Erik KratzErik Kratz had a June 1 opt-out from the Yankees, and Brian Cashman believed four teams would sign him as soon as he made himself a free agent, so the Yankees traded Kratz from their Triple-A roster to the Brewers on May 25. It is the kind of minor move that happens all the time and is easy to miss or dismiss.
Kratz defines journeyman catcher, bouncing from organization to organization, getting major league playing time annually since 2010 — but not much of it. At 38, he has helped Milwaukee, which was getting woeful production from its catchers. Serving as Manny Pina’s backup, he had a .918 OPS in his first 11 games.