Orioles claim two catchers from Reds

The Orioles are stockpiling catchers in the early days of their offseason.

Two more arrived today, with the Orioles claiming Aramis Garcia and Mark Kolozsvary off waivers from the Reds.

A full 40-man roster required two corresponding moves, and the Orioles designated relievers Louis Head and Beau Sulser for assignment.

Garcia, who turns 30 in January, is a right-handed hitter and second-round pick of the Giants in the 2014 draft out of Florida International University. He appeared in 47 games with the Reds this summer and batted .213/.248/.259 with two doubles, one home run, three walks and 34 strikeouts in 115 plate appearances.

The Reds were Garcia’s third major league team. He played in 37 games with the Giants in 2018-19 and 32 with the Athletics in 2021 and is a career .216/.253/.332 hitter with five doubles, 10 home runs, 25 RBIs, 10 walks and 114 strikeouts in 320 plate appearances. He’s thrown out 12 of 43 runners attempting to steal.

Garcia, a career .258/.321/.428 hitter in eight minor league seasons, was part of the February 2021 trade between the Rangers and Athletics that involved Elvis Andrus, Khris Davis and former Orioles minor leaguer Jonah Heim.

Kolozsvary, 27, also is a right-handed hitter. The Reds selected him in the seventh round in 2017 out of the University of Florida and brought him to the majors this season.

In 10 games, Kolozsvary went 4-for-20 with two doubles, one home run, one walk and nine strikeouts over 21 plate appearances.

Kolozsvary has slashed .215/.326/.343 in five minor league seasons, and he’s thrown out 31 percent of runners attempting to steal.

Head made five relief appearances with the Orioles this season and allowed one run and six hits in five innings. Sulser, the brother of former Orioles reliever Cole Sulser, allowed five runs and 16 hits in 12 2/3 innings over six appearances.

The Orioles have placed three catchers on the 40-man roster since their final game, selecting Anthony Bemboom’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk on Oct. 6.

The other catchers are Adley Rutschman, Cam Gallagher and Robinson Chirinos, with the latter set to enter free agency after the World Series.

Six catchers on the 40-man is an extreme rarity in these parts.

The Red Sox claimed reliever Jake Reed off waivers from the Orioles last night. Reed was designated for assignment when the Orioles claimed outfielder Jake Cave from the Twins.