Toronto Blue Jays Designate Minor League Catcher Nick Raposo For Assignment

Four months after claiming Nick Raposo off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals, the Toronto Blue Jays had to remove the minor league catcher from their 40-man roster so they could officially re-sign reliever Yimi García.

Feb 23, 2023; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Nick Raposo (93) poses for a portrait during spring training photo day. / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays have designated catcher Nick Raposo for assignment, according to the team's official transaction log.

Toronto needed to free up space on their 40-man roster in order to officially re-sign relief pitcher Yimi García. Raposo wound up being the sole casualty, losing his spot when the Blue Jays officially announced García's two-year, $15 million contract on Friday.

Raposo spent the second half of the 2024 season in the Blue Jays' organization, getting claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 1. In 20 games with Triple-A Buffalo, Raposo hit .246 with one home run, five RBI and a .673 OPS.

The Cardinals had previously called Raposo up to the big leagues on June 22 after placing Iván Herrera on the 10-day injured list. However, Raposo was optioned back to Triple-A two days later when Willson Contreras was activated off the IL.

Raposo did not see any MLB action in either of the games he spent on St. Louis' active roster. He was designated for assignment in July, opening the door for him to join the Blue Jays.

The 26-year-old backstop went undrafted out of Wheaton College in 2020, but the Cardinals brought him right up to Double-A for his professional debut in 2021. After spending all of that season and the next at that level, Raposo earned an invitation to Spring Training in 2023 and moved up to Triple-A later that year.

Raposo has appeared in 219 minor league games over the past four seasons, batting .241 with 20 home runs, 92 RBI and a .709 OPS. In 15 Grapefruit League appearances during Spring Training, he boasts a .167 batting average and .453 OPS with two RBI and three walks.

The catcher is now set to hit waivers, unless the Blue Jays find a trade partner in the next week. From there, Raposo can either accept an outright assignment back to the minors or opt for free agency and look for greener pastures elsewhere.

Toronto, meanwhile, now has just two catchers on its 40-man roster – Alejandro Kirk and Tyler Heineman.

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