Yankees add catcher, sign former No. 1 pick who is a defensive whiz
TAMPA — The Yankees really had no choice. Halfway through spring training, they needed catching help in the worst way.
They had to bring in someone with experience right away.
When backup Kyle Higashioka left the club on Monday for the World Baseball Classic, the Yankees were down to three catchers in camp — Gold Glove regular Jose Trevino and two non-roster players who have no experience above Double-A, Carlos Narvaez and Rodolfo Duran.
The Yankees addressed the issue during Tuesday’s off day by adding defensive catching whiz Nick Ciuffo, a former No. 1 draft pick with major league experience.
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On his 28th birthday, Ciuffo signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Tuesday and he’ll immediately be slotted third on the depth chart behind Trevino and Higashioka.
Ciuffo is known for his receiving. He has a very strong arm and elite defensive skills. In 414 career minor-league games since 2013, he hit .248 with 27 homers while throwing out 43% of basestealers, 175 of 408.
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A left-handed hitter, Ciuffo hit .188 with one homer and five RBI in 21 major league games with the Tampa Bay Rays (2018-19) and Baltimore Orioles (2021).
The Mount Pleasant, S.C., native spent last season playing Triple-A ball in the Chicago White Sox’s system. In 42 games with Charlotte, he batted .277 with five homers and 20 RBI in 141 at-bats.
The Rays drafted Ciuffo 21st overall in 2013. Slow to progress at the plate, Ciuffo was ranked the Rays’ 24th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline five years into his career when it hit a crossroads.
In February 2018, he was handed a 50-game suspension by MLB for testing positive for marijuana.
“There’s obviously no excuse for what I did, but what’s done is done,” Ciuffo said at the time. “I’m going to handle issues like I’ve never handled them before. Honestly, if this wouldn’t have happened, I don’t think I ever would have handled those issues. I think I’m taking the right steps to make sure this never happens again.”
Later that year, Ciuffo debuted in the majors with the Rays on Sept. 3, 2018.
The Yankees were desperate for an experienced catcher after losing their two projected Triple-A catchers and their probable Double-A starter to injuries early into spring training.
Besides Trevino and Higashioka, Ben Rortvedt is the only catcher holding a 40-man roster spot. He went into spring training third on the depth chart, but he’s now sidelined at least until May and maybe June after undergoing surgery on Feb. 22 for an aneurysm of the posterior artery of his left shoulder.
Also, the Yankees have been without 2018 second-round pick Josh Breaux, who has a shoulder injury, and 2020 first rounder Austin Wells, who is out two months with a fractured rib.
Breaux had been expected to begin the season in Triple-A, while Wells likely was going to start out in Double-A.
The Yankees like their two catchers in camp who have no MLB experience.
Duran, 25, is a 5-foot-9, 180-pound Dominican who played for Double-A Somerset last season. In 53 games, 46 of them behind the plate, he hit .222 with nine homers and 33 RBI. Defensively, he threw out 16 of 57 basestealers.
Narvaez, 24, is a 6-foot, 190 pounder who has opened eyes this spring hitting .400 with two homers in five at-bats over four Grapefruit League games, one as a starter. The Venezuelan spent last season with High-A Hudson Valley, batting .194 with 11 homers and 35 RBI.
“They’re really good behind the plate,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Duran can really throw. They’re good receivers and blockers. They’re familiar and have been in our system. They know to a degree how we like to gameplan, how we like to do things. They’re smart. That’s apparent to me. So they’re definitely guys that you figure in the mix.”
