Angels sign veteran catcher to minor league deal

The Los Angeles Angels added catching depth on Friday by signing veteran backstop Austin Wynns to a minor league contract after he became a free agent earlier this week, according to MLBTR. The 35-year-old opened the 2026 season with the Athletics before being designated for assignment on May 7 following Shea Langeliers’ return from the paternity list. After clearing waivers, Wynns elected free agency.

Los Angeles’ decision comes as the team continues to deal with major injuries behind the plate. Logan O’Hoppe suffered a broken wrist in late April, while veteran Travis d’Arnaud landed on the injured list because of plantar fasciitis. Those injuries forced the team to rely on Sebastian Rivero and rookie Omar Martinez. Rivero entered the season with only 162 days of MLB service time and carried a .169/.220/.202 slash line in 134 major league plate appearances. Martinez, meanwhile, made his MLB debut earlier this week after batting .208/.297/.358 with a 34.4% strikeout rate across Double-A and Triple-A since the start of last season.

Wynns brings experience from runs with the Baltimore Orioles, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds and Athletics. Across 293 career MLB games, he owns a .231/.276/.347 batting line in 826 plate appearances.

Although his 2026 numbers with the Athletics were limited to a .077 average in 14 games, Wynns showed offensive production as recently as 2025. Last season with Cincinnati, he hit .400/.442/.700 with three home runs and 11 RBI in 18 appearances before being traded to Oakland. He later batted .222/.242/.444 with three homers in 22 games for the Athletics.

Defensively, Wynns has built a reputation for controlling the running game. He has thrown out 30.2% of attempted base stealers during his MLB career and recorded a 31% caught-stealing rate in the minors. His defensive experience and more than five years of MLB service time likely made him an attractive short-term option for an Angels team thin at catcher.