Narvaez elected to become a free agent Sunday.
Narvaez passed through waivers unclaimed after being removed from the White Sox's 40-man roster, but he'll look for a gig elsewhere rather than accept an outright assignment. The veteran catcher was 2-for-7 at the plate during his brief time in the majors this season.
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White Sox's Omar Narvaez: Removed from 40-man roster
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The White Sox designated Narvaez for assignment Thursday.
Narvaez was in the majors for one week but will vacate his roster spot to make room for the arrival of Edgar Quero, who was called up from Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday. He'll likely clear waivers and could stick around in the organization as catching depth.
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White Sox's Omar Narvaez: Makes good impression in debut
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Narvaez went 1-for-3 with three RBI in Friday's 11-1 win over the Red Sox.
Narvaez was recalled to the big-league club Thursday with Korey Lee (ankle) sidelined. He made his debut with the White Sox on Friday and delivered a two-RBI single in the seventh inning to record his first hit. Matt Thaiss should be Chicago's primary catcher for the time being, but Narvaez will mix in for occasional starts behind the dish.
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White Sox's Omar Narvaez: Receives call-up from Double-A
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The White Sox selected Narvaez's contract from Double-A Birmingham on Thursday.
Narvaez was cut loose by the White Sox late in spring training after failing to win a spot on the Opening Day roster, but he rejoined the organization on a minor-league deal shortly thereafter. With top catching prospects Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero both in need of regular playing time at Triple-A Charlotte, Narvaez headed to the White Sox's Double-A affiliate and appeared in three games before getting a call-up in the wake of Chicago losing Korey Lee to a left ankle sprain. While he's up with the big club, Narvaez will likely see limited opportunities behind No. 1 backstop Matt Thaiss, and Narvaez could be designated for assignment once Lee is cleared to return from the injured list.
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White Sox's Omar Narvaez: Promotion imminent
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The White Sox are expected to select Narvaez's contract from Double-A Birmingham on Thursday, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
Narvaez was released by the White Sox after failing to make the team's roster out of spring training, but he returned to the organization on a minor-league deal at the start of April. He was removed from his game at Double-A shortly after Korey Lee injured his ankle during the White Sox's loss to Cleveland on Wednesday, which is a strong indicator that Narvaez will fill in as catcher depth for the big-league club going forward.
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Omar Narvaez: Cut by White Sox
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The White Sox released Narvaez on Monday, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
Chicago cut Narvaez loose after settling on Korey Lee and Matt Thaiss as its two catchers heading into Opening Day. Fegan relays that Narvaez could re-sign with the White Sox on a new minor-league deal, though with two high-end catching prospects in Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero set to open the season at Triple-A, it's unclear if the organization would even have regular playing time available for him in the minors.
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White Sox's Omar Narvaez: Misses out on Opening Day roster
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The White Sox informed Narvaez on Monday that he won't be included on the Opening Day roster, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
Chicago will begin the season with Korey Lee and Matt Thaiss as its two catchers. Narvaez, who had been attending camp as a non-roster invitee, will likely report to Triple-A Charlotte if the White Sox don't choose to release him. Narvaez is coming off a rough 2024 season in which he slashed just .154/.191/.185 over 69 plate appearances with the Mets before he was cut loose in June.
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White Sox's Omar Narvaez: Receives NRI from ChiSox
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The White Sox signed Narvaez to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training.
Narvaez was released by the Mets last June after slashing just .154/.191/.185 over 28 games, and he finished the year in the minors with the Astros. Slated to turn 33 in February, Narvaez will likely begin 2025 as catching depth at Triple-A Charlotte.
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Astros' Omar Narvaez: Gets MiLB deal from Houston
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Narvaez agreed to a minor-league contract with the Astros on Wednesday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Narvaez was released by the Mets earlier this month after slashing .192/.254/.259 over 215 plate appearances since the start of the 2023 campaign. The left-handed-hitting catcher will offer experienced depth at Triple-A Sugar Land for now, but could be a candidate to join the big-league roster soon with Victor Caratini (hip) expected to be out until after the All-Star break.
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Omar Narvaez: Officially given release
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The Mets released Narvaez on Wednesday.
The Mets will cover all of what remains of the two-year, $15 million contract Narvaez signed prior to the 2023 season. Narvaez hit a lowly .192/.254/.259 over 215 plate appearances with the Mets, but he should be able to find a backup catcher job somewhere now that he can be had at the prorated veteran minimum.
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Mets' Omar Narvaez: Designated for assignment
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The Mets designated Narvaez for assignment on Friday, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports.
Narvaez's two years in New York have been a disaster, as he posted a .580 OPS over 49 games in 2023 and has a .154/.191/.185 slash line in 28 games this year. Even with Francisco Alvarez (thumb) not yet back from the injured list, the Mets will look elsewhere for catching depth.
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Mets' Omar Narvaez: Playing second fiddle to Nido
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Narvaez is absent from the lineup for Monday's contest versus the Cubs, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Narvaez started three of the first four games at catcher after Francisco Alvarez (thumb) got hurt and was placed on the injured list, but it's now been Tomas Nido behind the plate for four of the last five contests. The 32-year-old Narvaez is slashing just .204/.271/.284 as a Met since the beginning of last season.
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Mets' Omar Narvaez: Out against left-hander
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Narvaez is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game in San Francisco, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
The left-handed-hitting Narvaez started behind the plate Tuesday, but with southpaw Blake Snell on the hill for the Giants on Wednesday, the Mets will hand Narvaez the day off. Tomas Nido will handle the catching for the Mets.
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Mets' Omar Narvaez: Could be set for more work
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Narvaez went 0-for-4 after replacing Francisco Alvarez (thumb) in the second inning of Friday's win over the Dodgers.
Alvarez was headed for an MRI after the game, but per Tim Healey of Newsday, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is "pretty concerned" about the severity of the injury. As the only other catcher on the 40-man roster, Narvaez figures to see a big spike in his playing time should Alvarez land on the IL, but that may not result in much additional fantasy value -- since 2022, the 32-year-old sports a .208/.288/.300 slash line in 467 plate appearances with only six homers. Tomas Nido, who was in camp this spring as a non-roster invitee, is batting .345 (10-for-29) for Triple-A Syracuse and would likely be promoted to take Alvarez's spot, but his career numbers in the majors aren't any better than Narvaez's performance the last few years.
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Mets' Omar Narvaez: Set to back up Alvarez
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Narvaez will open the season as the Mets' No. 2 catcher behind Francisco Alvarez.
This was the expected role for Narvaez after he played 49 games in 2023 during his first season with New York, slashing a weak .211/.283/.297 with only two homers and seven RBI. The 32-year-old's days as a fantasy asset are behind him, and even if Alvarez were to get hurt, Narvaez would likely split work behind the plate with Tomas Nido, who will begin the season with Triple-A Syracuse.
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Mets' Omar Narvaez: Exercises player option
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Narvaez exercised his $7 million player option for 2024 on Thursday.
As expected, the 31-year-old will return next season as the backup to young Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez. Narvaez slashed just .211/.283/.297 over 49 games (146 plate appearances) in 2023, but he is a good defender behind the plate and had the player option in hand.
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Mets' Omar Narvaez: Gets starting nod in series opener
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Narvaez will start at catcher and bat seventh in Monday's game against the Rangers, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Narvaez will pick up his second start in three games while No. 1 backstop Francisco Alvarez rests. The Mets have suggested that the 22-year-old Alvarez could have his catching workload managed down the stretch, so Narvaez could end up moving into more a timeshare behind the plate in September rather than serving as a clear No. 2 option. Narvaez is slashing .205/.294/.341 with one home run, three RBI and four runs in 16 games since the All-Star break.
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Mets' Omar Narvaez: Launches first homer
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Narvaez went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's 6-2 loss to the White Sox.
Narvaez got the Mets on the board in the fifth inning with a solo homer off Michael Kopech, his first of the year, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Narvaez had been struggling at the plate while shifting to a backup role behind Francisco Alvarez -- he'd gone just 1-for-19 over his previous 11 games. Overall, the 31-year-old Narvaez is slashing just .209/.294/.279 with six runs scored and four RBI through 51 plate appearances.
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Mets' Omar Narvaez: Returns from injured list
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The Mets reinstated Narvaez (calf) from the 60-day injured list Monday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.
Narvaez is finally ready to roll after missing the past two months with a severe calf strain. Francisco Alvarez has seized the Mets' starting catcher job, but Narvaez should still play at least a couple times per week when Alvarez is serving as a designated hitter or receiving a day off.
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Mets' Omar Narvaez: To begin rehab games Thursday
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Narvaez (calf) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment Thursday with High-A Brooklyn, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Narvaez will probably remain at Brooklyn through the weekend before advancing to Triple-A Syracuse. He needs a lot of rehab at-bats because he's been out since early April due to a severe calf strain, but the 31-year-old catcher is pushing for a return to the Mets around early-to-mid June. It'll be a complicated situation in Queens if Francisco Alvarez, Gary Sanchez and Tomas Nido are all healthy and performing well at that juncture.