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Getting to know Brian Serven, the catcher the Blue Jays claimed off waivers
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Photo credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Ryley Delaney
Jan 18, 2024, 07:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 18, 2024, 05:54 EST
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The Blue Jays finally have a third catcher on the 40-man roster.
On Tuesday, the Blue Jays Twitter account announced that they have claimed Brian Serven off waivers from the Cubs.
Funnily enough, this isn’t the first time the Jays have claimed a player recently designated for assignment by the Cubs, as they picked up left-handed reliever Brendon Little earlier in the off-season
Speaking of earlier in the season, the Blue Jay actually had a catcher on the 40-man roster, but designated Tyler “The Magician” Heineman for assignment, where he was promptly picked up on waivers by the New York Mets.
Serven was selected in the fifth-round of the 2016 draft by the Colorado Rockies, the only organization he’s ever played a game for. He made his major league debut in 2022, where he slashed .203/.261/.332 with six homers in 205 plate appearances for a 52 wRC+. He also played 11 games with the Rockies in 2023, where he had a .130/.130/174 slash line with a double and a -42 wRC+.
The 28-year-old was claimed this off-season by the Cubs, but was designated for assignment less than a week later as the Cubs traded for Michael Busch and Yency Almonte.
Serven has a bit of success in the minor leagues, as he hit .268/.326/.488 with 12 home runs in 337 plate appearances for a 114 wRC+ in 2018 while in High-A. In 2021 in Triple-A, Serven slashed .250/.308/.504 with 16 home runs in 276 plate appearances for a 93 wRC+.
The catcher had success with Colorado’s Triple-A team before the 2022 call up as well, as he had a .273/.406/.506 slash line with five home runs in just 96 plate appearances for a 129 wRC+.
Serven graduated in 2022, and the catcher was ranked as Colorado’s 16th-best prospect at the time. Fangraphs gave him a 40 hit tool, 40 game power tool, 45 raw power tool, 30 speed tool, and 50 fielding tool.
It’s likely that the catcher will remain on the 40-man roster as the Jays need a third catcher to call up in case of injury. Still, there may be a chance he’ll get a handful of opportunities with Toronto.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads @Brennan_L_D.

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