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Catcher Buck signs Minor League deal with Halos

By Alden Gonzalez

ANAHEIM -- The Angels signed veteran catcher John Buck to a Minor League contract and assigned him to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees on Monday.

Buck, 34, was released by the Mariners six days ago after batting .226/.293/.286 in 92 plate appearances. He'll join Luis Martinez and John Hester in Triple-A, but he can join the Angels as a third catcher when rosters expand in September if he doesn't find an immediate Major League opportunity before then.

Buck was an All-Star with the Blue Jays in 2010, a season in which he set career highs with a .281 batting average, 20 homers and 66 RBIs. He played his first six seasons with the Royals, then suited up for five different Major League teams from 2010-14.

For his 11-year career, Buck has batted .234/.301/.398 while throwing out 25 percent of would-be basestealers (the Major League average was 27.2 percent in that span).

Alden Gonzalez is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Gonzo and "The Show", and follow him on Twitter @Alden_Gonzalez. Associate reporter Matthew DeFranks contributed to this report.
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