Dodgers sign Amezaga to Minors deal with spring invite

LOS ANGELES -- For the second time in four years, the Dodgers have signed utility man Alfredo Amezaga to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training. The deal was first reported by FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal and later confirmed by the team to MLB.com.

Amezaga, 34 this month, won the Mexican League batting title this winter with a .344 average. He spent 2012 with the Cubs' Triple-A team in Iowa, hitting .274 and playing all defensive positions except catcher and first base.

The Dodgers went down this road with Amezaga in 2010, but he missed the entire season recovering from 2009 microfracture surgery on his left knee. He's been with the Rockies, the Marlins and the Cubs since, and appeared in 40 Major League games in 2011.

Amezaga began his career with the Angels as a 13th-round pick in 1999 and saw significant action with the Marlins from 2006 to 2008.