Catcher Jose Herrera cleared waivers, and the Arizona Diamondbacks sent him outright to Triple-A Reno on Monday.
The Diamondbacks designated Herrera for assignment on Friday to make room for starting catcher Gabriel Moreno, who returned from the 60-day injured list (fractured finger).
Herrera did not have any more minor league options, so the roster move exposed him to the waiver wire. Without any takers, Herrera returns to the organization he’s been with since signing as 16-year-old back in 2013, but he is no longer on the 40-man roster.
“Talk about toughness, engagement and the ability to care about his brother. I think he’s at the head of the class,” manager Torey Lovullo said of Herrera on Friday. “If he clears waivers, I’m hoping he comes back.”
Herrera has played 187 games with the Diamondbacks since debuting in 2022. He was the club’s backup catcher during the 2023 World Series run.
He has been a light-hitting backup catcher with a .200 batting average and .539 OPS in his major league career.
The Diamondbacks elected to keep James McCann (.714 OPS) as the backup catcher over Herrera, while rookie backstop Adrian Del Castillo has received more opportunities as the designated hitter.
Herrera joins a catching group with Rene Pinto and Aramis Garcia in Reno.
