The Toronto Blue Jays have claimed catcher Brian Serven off waivers from the Chicago Cubs, the club announced Tuesday.
The Cubs designated Serven for assignment on Jan. 11, just six days after they claimed him off waivers from the Colorado Rockies. Chicago cut bait with Serven after signing Japanese left-hander Shota Imanaga and completing a two-for-two trade of prospects with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Toronto's 40-man roster is now full.
The Rockies took Serven in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB Draft. He eventually made his big league debut in 2022, batting .203 with six home runs, 16 RBI, a .593 OPS and a -0.1 WAR across 62 games.
Serven was a part-time starter for Colorado to open 2023, but he struggled out of the gates and got sent down to the minors in early May. He only appeared in one MLB game the rest of the season, finishing the year with a .130 batting average, one RBI, a .304 OPS and a -0.4 WAR.
In 548.0 career innings behind the plate, Serven has made seven errors, allowed 23 wild pitches, given up two passed balls and caught 15-of-63 potential base-stealers.
Serven is now in position to compete for an Opening Day roster spot with the Blue Jays. Even if the 28-year-old doesn't make the cut, he would likely bide his time in Triple-A until he is needed as an injury replacement.
Alejandro Kirk is projected to be Toronto's starting catcher, as he was at the end of 2023, while Danny Jansen should get innings behind the dish when he's not at designated hitter. Last year's late-season backup, Tyler Heineman, was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets in December.
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