The Rockies are signing catcher José Briceño to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training, reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com. The 28-year-old backstop has 134 major league plate appearances on his resume.
Briceño broke into pro ball with the Rockies as an international amateur back in 2009. After five years in the Colorado system, he was traded to the Braves, who shipped him to the Angels a year later. Briceño made it to the big leagues with Los Angeles in 2018, putting up a .239/.299/.385 line as a rookie. Despite that fairly respectable showing, he’s only picked up six big league plate appearances since then.
Owner of a .251/.286/.464 mark in parts of four Triple-A seasons, Briceño joins a Rockies’ catching mix that has room for improvement. Neither Tony Wolters nor Elias Díaz has offered much at the plate in recent seasons, while Dom Nuñez only has 43 career plate appearances under his belt.