Ryan Lavarnway
C FA
Wed 3/22/23 11:18 AM

Lavarnway announced Wednesday in a personal essay posted on The Athletic that he has retired from professional baseball.
EDGE Analysis
The 35-year-old catcher will bring a close to his career after most recently competing for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic. A 2008 sixth-round draft pick out of Yale, Lavarnway saw big-league action in parts of 10 of his 15 seasons in the professional ranks. He retires with a lifetime .217/.272/.345 slash line and nine home runs over 165 career games with Boston, Atlanta, Baltimore, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Miami and Cleveland.

Ryan Lavarnway
C FA
Tue 6/21/22 10:43 PM

Lavarnway was acquired by the Marlins from the Tigers on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations, the Detroit Free Press reports.
EDGE Analysis
Lavarnway missed out on Detroit's Opening Day roster and will now join Miami, where he appeared in five major-league games during 2020. The 34-year-old should provide catching depth at the Triple-A level, where he has a .281/.385/.459 slash line in 44 games this year.

Ryan Lavarnway
C FA
Mon 3/28/22 2:47 PM

The Tigers informed Lavarnway on Monday that he won't be included on the Opening Day roster, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
EDGE Analysis
Lavarnway will remain a participant in big-league camp for the next few days before joining Triple-A Toledo on Friday as the affiliate prepares for the start of the minor-league season. He'll likely be the No. 4 option on the Tigers' organization depth chart at catcher behind Tucker Barnhart, Eric Haase and Dustin Garneau.

Ryan Lavarnway
C FA
Mon 3/14/22 7:11 PM

Lavarnway signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Monday that includes an invitation to big-league camp, Andersen Pickard of MLBDailyDish.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
Lavarnway appeared in nine games for Cleveland in 2021 but spent most of the year at the Triple-A level, where he hit .260/.338/.520 with 13 homers in 49 contests. He'll likely serve as organizational catching depth for Detroit this season.

Ryan Lavarnway
C FA
Tue 9/14/21 1:12 PM

Lavarnway was designated for assignment Tuesday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
Lavarnway had been serving as catching depth since early September. With Roberto Perez returning from a shoulder injury, he's no longer needed, so he'll be available for the rest of the league to claim off waivers. A 34-year-old with a career .217/.272/.345 slash line is unlikely to be of much interest to many teams, however.

Ryan Lavarnway
C FA
Thu 9/2/21 5:54 PM

Lavarnway had his contract selected by Cleveland on Thursday and is starting at catcher at Kansas City.
EDGE Analysis
Lavarnway has been at Triple-A Columbus since being designated for assignment in late June, and he'll rejoin the big-league club Thursday. The 34-year-old has seen major-league action in each of the past five years, though he hasn't played double-digit games since 2015.

Ryan Lavarnway
C FA
Thu 7/1/21 10:57 AM

Cleveland outrighted Lavarnway to Triple-A Columbus on Monday.
EDGE Analysis
The 33-year-old catcher remains in the organization after he went unclaimed off waivers over the weekend. Lavarnway was up with Cleveland for about a week while top backstop Austin Hedges recovered from a concussion.

Ryan Lavarnway
C FA
Thu 6/24/21 5:00 PM

Cleveland designated Lavarnway for assignment Thursday.
EDGE Analysis
Lavarnway was with Cleveland for a week while No. 1 catcher Austin Hedges was on the injured list with a concussion. During his time with the big club, Lavarnway appeared in four games, going 3-for-11 with a double and a walk. As a 33-year-old journeyman backstop, Lavarnway isn't expected to attract much interest from other organizations, so he'll most likely report to Cleveland's Triple-A affiliate in Columbus once he clears waivers in the coming days.

Ryan Lavarnway
C FA
Thu 6/17/21 11:35 AM

Lavarnway's contract was selected by Cleveland on Thursday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com
EDGE Analysis
Lavarnway began the year with Triple-A Columbus and slashed .258/.313/.551 with seven home runs and 20 RBI in 25 games. He'll join the major-league club after Austin Hedges (concussion) was placed on the 7-day injured list Thursday, and he could split time with Rene Rivera at catcher in the near future.

Ryan Lavarnway
C FA
Tue 3/30/21 2:36 PM

Cleveland announced Tuesday that Lavarnway will be a part of its five-man taxi squad for its season-opening series in Detroit, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
EDGE Analysis
Lavarnway missed out on a spot on the 26-man Opening Day roster, but his inclusion on the taxi squad signals that he's likely third in the organizational depth chart at catcher behind Roberto Perez and Austin Hedges. Cleveland would have to open up a spot on the 40-man roster in order for Lavarnway to join the big club at any point.