Tribe adds Wilk, Murphy on Minor League deals

January 22nd, 2018

CLEVELAND -- The Indians added two more players to the preseason mix Monday, signing left-hander and switch-hitting catcher Jack Murphy to Minor League contracts that include an invitation to attend Major League Spring Training.
Cleveland's pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Goodyear, Ariz., on Feb. 14, with the first official workout for that group scheduled for Feb. 16. The remainder of the Tribe's position players are slated to report to Arizona on Feb. 18, leading up to the first full-squad workout on Feb. 20.
With Wilk and Murphy joining the fold, the Indians have 19 non-roster invitees, bringing the camp total to 59.
Wilk, 30, split the 2017 season between the Mets and Twins, appearing in four games (two starts), in which he allowed 14 earned runs in 14 innings. In 44 1/3 innings at Triple-A last year, the left-hander posted a 5.48 ERA with 35 strikeouts against eight walks. Wilk has a 7.36 ERA in 40 1/3 career innings in the Majors between stops with the Tigers, Angels, Mets and Twins, dating back to 2011.

The Indians already have a sound MLB catching duo in and -- not to mention MLB Pipeline's No. 1 catching prospect in knocking on the big league door -- but Murphy will give the team another catcher to serve as depth and help divvy up the Spring Training workload.
Murphy has spent the past nine seasons in the Blue Jays' and Dodgers' farm systems, hitting .222 (.649 OPS) with a career 29 percent caught-stealing rate. Last year, Murphy hit .141 in 187 plate appearances between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Beyond Wild and Murphy, the Indians' list of non-roster invitees includes: Pitchers Jeff Beliveau, , , , , , , , and ; infielders , , and Nellie Rodriguez; and outfielders , Richie Shaffer and Melvin Upton Jr.