By Kyle Downing / mlbtraderumors.com
Per a team press release, the Minnesota Twins have selected the contract of catcher Juan Graterol from Triple-A Rochester Red Wings. He will head to Oakland tonight to join the MLB team. Ervin Santana has been transferred to the 60-day DL in order to make room for him on the roster.
Minnesota signed the 29-year-old Graterol to a minors pact in late June after he was designated for assignment and subsequently released by the Angels. His lone MLB plate appearance on the season resulted in a single, but he’d also spent parts of 2016 an 2017 in Los Angeles and racked up just over 100 trips to the plate during that time. The backstop owns a lifetime .222/.225/.283 batting line at the MLB level, though he’s perhaps better known for sound defense behind the plate.
Since joining the Red Wings, Graterol has posted a .284/.317/.336 batting line across 123 MiLB plate appearances. That comes with a sustainable .289 BABIP, so there’s at least some optimism surrounding his potential to make good contact in the majors. But the more fascinating element of Graterol’s game is his plate discipline profile. He’s got just a 2.4% strikeout rate with the Red Wings, along with a 1.6% walk rate. Put more simply, Graterol swings often, and he doesn’t miss very much. He will sit behind Willians Astudillo and Chris Gimenez on the Twins’ depth chart.