The New York Yankees, seeking depth at the catcher position, claimed Eli Whiteside off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on Monday.
Whiteside, 33, played parts of the past four seasons with the Giants, though he wasn’t on the playoff roster for the team’s run to the World Series championship this fall. He went 1-for-11 (.091) in 12 games with San Francisco this year, and he’s a career .215 hitter in five major league seasons, counting a brief stint with the Baltimore Orioles in 2005.
Whiteside is known more for his defense than for his offense, and he threw out 36 percent of attempted base-stealers this year in 60 games with Triple-A Fresno. He has caught 34 percent of attempted thieves over 10 seasons in the minor leagues.
The Yankees’ regular catcher this year, Russell Martin, is a free agent. The other in-house options for the position, Chris Stewart and Francisco Cervelli, also are unlikely to land an everyday role.
Stewart, 30, has played for five organizations in a six-year major league career. Cervelli, 26, spent the entire 2012 season in the minors before getting a September call-up.