Orioles claim Lavarnway, release Berry

With the list of available catchers dwindling, the Orioles have claimed former Red Sox prospect Ryan Lavarnway off waivers from the Cubs and released outfielder Quintin Berry. The 40-man roster, which remains full, includes catchers Matt Wieters, Caleb Joseph, Steve Clevenger and Michael Ohlman. Lavarnway, 27, also can play first base and serve as a designated hitter. "Lavarnway has good athletic ability and has been a consistent hitter in the minors," executive vice president Dan Duquette wrote in a text. "He gives us another catcher and right-handed hitter to consider this spring." It's been a crazy offseason for Lavarnway, who was selected off waivers by the Dodgers on Dec. 5, the Cubs on Dec. 19 and the Orioles this afternoon. They figure to hold onto him due to their needs in the outfield, at DH and possibly behind the plate if Wieters isn't ready on opening day. One member of the organization told me last week that the Orioles were no longer interested in Lavarnway, but free agent catcher Nick Hundley supposedly has a two-year offer on the table from another club. Also, Duquette has been searching for right-handed and left-handed bats. Lavarnway, a sixth-round pick of the Red Sox in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Yale University, is a career .201/.249/.315 hitter in parts of four major league seasons and a .283/.375/.479 hitter in seven minor league seasons. He batted .283/.389/.370 in 62 games for Triple-A Pawtucket this year. Lavarnway went 0-for-10 with the Red Sox this year. Berry, 30, batted .285/.382/.367 in 112 games with Triple-A Norfolk in 2014. He went 0-for-2 with a stolen base and three runs scored for the Orioles in September.