Veteran catcher Austin Wynns cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Rangers, the team announced. He rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A Round Rock and has instead chosen to become a free agent.
Wynns has the right to do so both by virtue of that fact that he’s been outrighted in the past and due to his service time (five-plus years). The 35-year-old has played a combined 34 games and taken 89 plate appearances between the A’s, Braves and Rangers this season. He’s posted a .146/.195/.183 slash in that small sample.
Taking a broader look at his career, Wynns has produced at the level one would expect from a journeyman backup catcher. He’s a lifetime .230/.274/.334 hitter in 871 major league plate appearances split between the Orioles, Giants, Dodgers, Rockies, Reds, A’s, Braves and Rangers.
Wynns drew poor framing grades early in his career but has been about average in that regard over the past five seasons. He’s also solid when it comes to blocking balls in the dirt and is typically adept at controlling the running game (as evidenced by a career 29% caught-stealing rate). Wynns is just 4-for-28 in throwing out runners this season, but as recently as 2025 he went 11-for-27 — a 40.7% caught-stealing rate.
There are plenty of clubs looking for catching depth this time of year, and Wynns is a fine veteran option for a club to stash in Triple-A as a No. 3 catcher — or for a club with a current injury to bring aboard as a potential backup option. He’ll likely latch on with another club on a minor league deal before long.
