Braves sign veteran catcher after Travis d’Arnaud injury

The Atlanta Braves have signed veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy in a move to help depth after Travis d’Arnaud had to undergo surgery.

In the middle of a depth crisis at catcher, the Braves have found a solution.

Say hello to former Brewers All-Star Jonathan Lucroy.

A minor-league contract between the Braves and Lucroy is done, according to David O’Brien and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. He’ll report to Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday.

The Braves will lean on Jonathan Lucroy with Travis d’Arnaud injured

Atlanta has had a major headache at catcher in 2021. Travis d’Arnaud had to have surgery on a torn ligament in his thumb and is likely to miss a couple of months of action. The fact that Alex Jackson is battling a hamstring problem hasn’t helped.

The Braves originally turned to another veteran, Tyler Flowers, to address the depth issue, but he ultimately decided to retire.

Lucroy achieved All-Star status with the Brewers and Rangers in 2014 and 2016, but it’s been a long and winding road for the veteran since then. He was traded to the Rockies in 2017, then signed with the Athletics in 2018. He played for the Angels in 2019, briefly signed with the Cubs and spent time with the Red Sox and Phillies in 2020.

This year, he signed with the White Sox before the start of the season but got released before opening day. He played five games for the Nationals before being dropped again.