Dusty Ryan Career Tracker

Catching Up with Dusty Ryan

By Kira Jones

At 6’4 Dusty Ryan is rather intimidating behind the plate. And although he describes himself as a “quiet catcher” his presence makes up for his calm demeanor. Ryan is a catcher for the Erie SeaWolves, the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. He identifies catching as his strongest point but his
offensive numbers are also impressive. With a .275 batting average with twelve doubles and twelve homeruns as of June 29th he’s doing something right at the plate. He also has 39 RBIs. Ryan is talented in many aspects of the game, but his biggest asset is his arm. After seeing Ryan’s rocket when throwing down to second many runners are too intimidated to run on him. And if they do chances are he will throw them out.

This is Ryan’s first season in Double-A and it’s obvious he’s adjusting well to it. The biggest difference he’s noticed? “Pitchers can throw all their pitches in every count whereas in Single-A they rely more on their fastball.”

09/04/2008 2:21 PM ET
Rookie Ryan makes early impression
Young catcher shows off tremendous power in batting practice
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- The legend is set in stone. Or in this case, the legend hit stone.

Dusty Ryan arrived in Detroit for his Major League callup on Tuesday and had caught Freddy Garcia in a simulated game by the time many players arrived at Comerica Park. He then went out for batting practice and drove the ball so far out to left-center field that he hit the statue of Hall of Famer Charlie Gehringer on the concourse.

Manager Jim Leyland brought up the feat talking with reporters Thursday morning. Teammates confirmed it. Then Ryan owned up to it.

"I did," Ryan said, "and the next pitch went at my head."

That was first-base coach and batting-practice pitcher Andy Van Slyke having fun with the rookie. Nonetheless, Ryan's power is serious.

"That's far," infielder Ramon Santiago said. "He's a big guy, too."

Ryan is listed at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, which makes him a big target behind the plate for pitchers. With 17 home runs and 63 RBIs in 102 games between Triple-A Toledo and Double-A Erie, he doesn't have the numbers of a big power threat, but apparently the distance. He also has a big arm behind the plate, enough that the Tigers almost tried him out as a pitcher in Spring Training.

"This guy's got a cannon," Leyland said.

Ryan made his Major League debut on Thursday, when Leyland inserted him to catch the ninth inning of the 7-1 loss to the Angels. He took an offspeed pitch from Justin Speier for a called strike to end the game.

Come Sunday, he'll get a chance to test his power and his arm behind the plate. Leyland said he'll give him his first big league start that day, putting him behind the plate to catch his Toledo Mud Hens teammate, Chris Lambert.

Considering Ryan entered the season with a .225 career average in four Minor League seasons, this year has been a relative breakout year. He credits part of it to teammate Brent Dlugach, who convinced him to add a toe-tap in his batting stance as a timing mechanism. Van Slyke also worked with the positioning of his hands in Spring Training, putting him in a better position to swing.

The product has been encouraging for an organization sorely lacking in young catching. A healthy season has also been big for him after a torn meniscus in his right knee sidelined him for three months last year.

He isn't expected to get many starts this month, but Sunday is one chance. He doesn't have any statues to aim for at the Metrodome, but a first impression is a good target.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

09/07/2008 2:56 PM ET
Ryan makes first Major League start
Young catcher homers in first at-bat against Twins in finale
By Thor Nystrom / MLB.com

MINNEAPOLIS -- Dusty Ryan made the first start of his Major League career on Sunday against Minnesota. Tigers manager Jim Leyland doesn't know much about his rookie catcher, but he is going to take advantage of an evaluation opportunity.

"I've always known one thing about him: he has a great arm. Other than that, I don't know much about him at all, just what you hear on the reports," Leyland said. "Obviously, he's hit with some power and struck out -- those two, a lot of times, go hand-in-hand."

Ryan batted .266 with 58 runs, 17 home runs and 63 RBIs between Triple-A Toledo and Double-A Erie this year. His contract was purchased from Toledo on Tuesday, the date of his 24th birthday. Ryan made his big league debut on Thursday against the Angels as a defensive replacement.

Could he be the primary backup catcher of the Tigers next year?

"I don't know about that; that's putting the cart before the horse," Leyland said. "You have 20 games left. I doubt you can make that decision in that period of time."

Ryan was named the best defensive catcher in the Tigers organization last year by Baseball America. His first big league start had him catching fellow rookie Chris Lambert.

"I wanted to catch him with Lambert -- a pretty easy guy to catch, I think, [and Ryan] knows him a little bit," Leyland said. "[I want to] see him play, see what he looks like. ... I know he has some power, he can hit it a long ways. That's good."

Leyland's pregame comments appeared prescient after Ryan drove the first pitch he saw, a Glen Perkins fastball, over the right-field baggie for a two-run homer in the second inning. The drive put Detroit up, 2-0.

Ryan was a 48th-round pick of the Tigers in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft.

"I think he has played his way to the prospect level," Leyland said. "Is he someday a regular? I don't know. Or a possible backup? I don't know. He had a [heck of a] year at Double-A, that's pretty good."

Thor Nystrom is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

09/09/2008 8:19 PM ET
Tigers taking long look at young Ryan
Catcher in lineup Tuesday for second time in three games
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- Tigers manager Jim Leyland isn't going to get a good enough look at Dusty Ryan over the final weeks of the season to figure out his role for next year. But he hopes to see enough to get an idea of what the Tigers have in this young backstop who emerged from Double-A Erie with a breakout season.

"You can get a feel for him," Leyland said. "You can get a feel for him as a person, what kind of thought process he has, how he handles himself behind the plate."

That's what Leyland is trying to do down the stretch. He slotted Ryan into the lineup on Tuesday for his second start in three games. Part of that was strategic, allowing Brandon Inge to start at third base, where his defense could help starting pitcher Nate Robertson get outs from ground balls to the left side.

That said, it also gave Ryan a game against a pitcher with which he had yet to work this season. His first big league start on Sunday came with Triple-A Toledo teammate Chris Lambert on the mound.

Inge will continue to be the regular season catcher, but Ryan will gets some spot starts down the stretch.

"I want to look at him," Leyland said.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

TIGERS NOTEBOOK
Robertson: Rookie catcher Dusty Ryan 'does a heck of a job'

By JOHN LOWE • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • September 10, 2008

Rookie Dusty Ryan made his second start at catcher for the Tigers, two days after he homered in his first big-league start. He had two hits, including a double.

Nate Robertson, Tuesday night’s starting pitcher, praised Ryan’s work behind the plate.

“Dusty called a great game,” Robertson said. “As far as calling a ballgame and setting up back there, he does a heck of a job. He’s very intelligent. He looks like he’s been here for a while, the way he’s swinging the bat, and the way he’s calling a ballgame, and his demeanor.

“He doesn’t look like he gets too rattled too easily. He’s got a quiet confidence about him.”

09/18/2008 3:47 PM ET
Ryan maturing beyond his experience
Rookie catcher rapidly developing into promising prospect
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

So much for Dusty Ryan's life as a little-used September callup.

When he arrived in Detroit at the start of the month, he was making the trip from Triple-A Toledo as an extra catcher, to play in a game or two every so often over the final few weeks, and to learn largely by watching. It was as much a reward as an evaluation, after his solid season at Double-A Erie provided a glimmer of hope for a Tigers farm system that has been looking for young catching for years.

As manager Jim Leyland told reporters upon granting Ryan his first Major League start a couple weeks ago, "I think he has played his way to the prospect level."

Ryan's play since then has raised the question of how close to the big league level he has played himself for next season.

It would be a huge leap next year, but the fact that it's even fathomable is a statement on how Ryan has impressed over the past couple of weeks. He has suddenly grown from a young catcher whose biggest feats were more like legends of physical might -- hitting a statue on the outfield concourse at Comerica Park, accidentally hitting a pitcher who wasn't prepared for his throw on a stolen-base attempt -- to someone building a resume in real, live games.

"People take notice of him anyways," Tigers player development director Glenn Ezell said. "He's 6-foot-4, and he's got the catching gear on, and he's a solid piece of granite. But what's happening now is his confidence level and the fact that he's hitting the fastball [are] allowing people to see him in another league, too."

It might not earn him a ticket to stick in the Majors when the Tigers open next season, but it earns him a much longer look than he otherwise might've received.

"We're looking at him, obviously," Leyland said between games of last Sunday's doubleheader at Chicago, where Ryan played the entirety of both contests. "This is a little bit of a showcase for him."

The tools were evident long before he arrived. He's the biggest backstop the Tigers have had in almost a decade and earns physical comparisons to the great Lance Parrish. He's tall enough to stand over some opposing hitters before he squats down behind the plate.

Within that body frame comes a lot of power. The batting-practice homer off Charlie Gehringer's statue came in his first day with the team and flashed the swing that connected for 15 homers over 338 plate appearances at Erie. Ryan later launched a homer over the Metrodome baggie in his first Tigers start.

That power also translates into his arm. The story of hitting a pitcher with a throw is like a cautionary tale for someone who threw out 18 of 46 would-be basestealers at Double-A before catching nine out of 27 with Toledo.

"Yeah, it's happened twice in my career," Ryan said.

His arm is strong enough that the Tigers once briefly considered converting him to a pitcher before waiting to see where catching took him. Where he is now is a pretty good spot.

Ryan enters Friday having caught four of Detroit's past five games. His latest was Wednesday in the Tigers debut of Freddy Garcia, whom Ryan caught in both of Garcia's simulated games. It also allowed Brandon Inge to fill in for the injured Carlos Guillen at third base, where Inge's defense is an advantage.

To say Ryan is using the time to his benefit would be an understatement. The ample playing time has allowed his intangibles to come through.

"Coming in, it can be pretty intimidating for a guy like that," said Nate Robertson, whom Ryan caught in the left-hander's seven innings of one-run ball last week. "He's young, he's a rookie, but he's come in here and, man, he looks like he's been here for a while, the way he's swinging the bat, the way he's calling a ballgame and just his demeanor. He doesn't look like he gets rattled too easy or anything like that. He's got a quiet confidence about him."

Ezell has worked with Ryan since Detroit drafted him out of Merced (Calif.) Junior College in 2003. When Ezell read those comments, he marveled.

"Dusty has started to trust himself, have a little more confidence in himself," Ezell said. "He's not beating himself up nearly as much as he had in the past. He still does it on occasion, but he has given himself a little freedom.

"It's absolutely OK to pat yourself on the back on occasion. You don't have to whack yourself with the fungo on your shinbone all the time. He's allowing himself to relax and let his ability do what is necessary for him to get better."

The question that Tigers officials must tackle going forward is how much better Ryan can get if he makes the jump to the Majors now to catch alongside or behind Inge. This year was his first above Class A ball, and he played just 20 games at Triple-A Toledo before getting the September call.

Leyland was pointed about not getting carried away with a September performance. But his even-handed evaluation reflects the impact Ryan has made.

"If I look at what I have seen so far, I mean, you would have to educate him a little bit on calling the game and everything and learning the hitters," Leyland told reporters Wednesday afternoon. "It would be a [crash] course and all that kind of stuff. But what meets the eye right now, I'd have to say Dusty Ryan can fill in the big leagues right now. But what's he going to hit?"

That was before Ryan's four-hit game against the Rangers on Wednesday. Still, given that Ryan entered this season with a .225 career average in the Minors, it remains a fair question. With the jump he has made, there are a lot of questions that follow him. But the fact that those questions are being asked now means he's getting noticed.

"He's always had good tools," Ezell said. "It's just a matter of whether he's going to let those tools work for him."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

11/12/08 5:59 PM EST
Prospect Ryan catching up
Continued work could make backstop ready for Majors

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

The Tigers spent the final weeks of the season learning a bit about Dusty Ryan, who made enough of an impression to fit into next year's catching picture. Now, the burly young backstop has a chance to give that picture some more clarity.

With the start of play in the revived Puerto Rican Winter League, the next phase of Ryan's development has begun. Whether it leads him back to Detroit next year depends a lot on what the Tigers do over the winter, but also a little on what Ryan does in the spring.

The Tigers believe a couple extra months of play can go a long way towards getting him ready.

"Just continued improvement is what it amounts to," team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "He was really in Double-A most of the year. That's why we think he's going to continue to improve. That's why many, many players play winter ball."

Particularly this year, the Tigers have a lot of players taking that route. Brent Clevlen has played in 16 games already for Leones del Escogido in the Dominican League, where Ramon Santiago is manning shortstop for Gigantes del Cibao. Matt Joyce began playing in Mexicali for the Aguilas of the Mexican League at the end of October.

All of those players have seen more Major League time than Ryan, who made his big league debut in September after a short stint at Triple-A Toledo. His time in Detroit showed off his right-handed power bat and strong arm, but also reflected where he needed more seasoning, such as blocking pitches in the dirt.

The Tigers didn't expect Ryan to be a Major League-ready product last season. His playing time was expected to be scattered at best when he arrived at the start of September, with Brandon Inge catching regularly. Now, Inge is a third baseman again, and Detroit's catching position is wide open.

Toward filling that void, the Tigers are hoping that winter ball helps smooth out some of the rough edges in Ryan's game.

Ryan had caught in each of the season's first three games through Tuesday for Leones de Ponce, going 2-for-12 with a run scored, an RBI, three walks and five strikeouts. Behind the plate, he has caught a Ponce pitching staff that had the league's only shutout so far but gave up 17 runs over the other two of its first three games.

The pitching staff with which Ryan is working ranges from experienced arms such as Hector Mercado and Pedro Feliciano to prospects in their early 20s, such as fellow Tigers farmhand Joshua Rainwater.

Tigers player development director Glenn Ezell has seen Ryan's development through the organization since he was a 48th-round selection in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft. Ezell's message to Ryan this year has been positive, helping him to not take any offensive struggles into the field. That mind-set continues into the winter.

"The consistency is exactly what he's got to find," Ezell said. "He's got to continue to hit the fastball. he's got to play nine innings behind the plate, receive the ball and get the experience of seeing the breaking balls down there."

Defensively, Ezell sees promise in Ryan. He knows the challenge Ryan faced blocking pitches in the big leagues down the stretch but sees experience as key. The tools, Ezell said, are there.

"He's got the skills to do that," Ezell said. "He has the technique to do it. I think he's going to do it. I think he has to realize that he can. I think he can. I think the Major League coaches believe he can. I think a lot of us think he can. He just has to go out and get it done. And again, it's mind over matter."

Ryan will have the rest of the season in Puerto Rico to give it a shot. The league schedule runs through December. It likely won't have any effect on how the Tigers approach the catching market this winter, but it could still have a big bearing on Ryan's fortunes for 2009.

While Ryan's season is picking back up, the Arizona Fall League heads towards its final days with Jeff Larish still confounding league pitching. Now, he has company among the Tigers' prospects on the hitting leaderboards.

After a slow start in October, Larish's hit parade is carrying all the way into the final days of the AFL's regular season. He continues to lead the league with 27 RBIs, while moving up to third in two other categories with nine doubles and 26 runs scored. His hitting streak now stretches into double digits, and he entered Wednesday batting .405 (17-for-42) with five doubles, four home runs, 15 RBIs and 13 runs scored over his last 10 games.

Outfielder Casper Wells can't match that prolonged stretch, but he has heated up since returning last Saturday from a hip flexor injury that had kept him out of action for more than week. Wells went 5-for-10 with three doubles and two homers over his first three games back, including a pinch-hit three-run shot Tuesday.

Wells was already picking up his hitting before the injury, going 6-for-13 (.462) with five RBIs in three games leading into it. Add in his walks for a .462 season on-base percentage, and his 1.077 OPS ranked 10th in the league entering Wednesday. It's another step in the development of a 23-year-old Grand Rapids, Mich., native who jumped from low Class A West Michigan to Erie in midseason.

"Is he going to hit for average? I don't know," Ezell said. "But I know he's going to give himself a chance to."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Tigers call up Dusty Ryan
BECK'S BLOG

The Tigers brought up some catching help Friday, at least for the moment, by recalling Dusty Ryan from Triple-A Toledo.

Ryan temporarily fills the roster spot that opened Thursday, when Detroit placed Dontrelle Willis on the 15-day disabled list. Alfredo Figaro will be promoted from Double-A Erie to start Saturday for the Tigers, but will have to be added to the roster before Saturday's game.

Ryan spent most of last September as the Tigers' everyday catcher, batting .318 with two homers and seven RBIs in 15 games, but went back to prospect status once Detroit traded for Gerald Laird at last December's Winter Meetings. He got off to a slow start in Spring Training and then into the season at Triple-A Toledo, batting .156 in April with 13 strikeouts in 45 at-bats. He rebounded to hit .309 in May with four homers and 12 RBIs.

For the year, the 24-year-old Ryan is hitting .259 with seven homers and 23 RBIs.

Ryan's recent performance raised speculation that he could be promoted to back up Laird in Detroit, where Dane Sardinha's hitting struggles left him out of the starting lineup while the Tigers played six Interleague road games without a designated hitter at Pittsburgh and St. Louis. For Friday, at least, they'll go with three catchers

Posted on June 19, 2009 at 2:13 PM

Tigers call up Ryan, designate Sardinha
Figaro promoted from Double-A Erie to start Saturday's game

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

06/20/09 12:51 AM ET

DETROIT -- Dusty Ryan isn't returning to Detroit to assume the starting catching duties again, but he has the chance to provide a big help. The Tigers called up the 24-year-old Friday afternoon and designated Dane Sardinha's contract for assignment Friday night.

Ryan filled the roster spot that opened Thursday, when Detroit placed Dontrelle Willis on the 15-day disabled list. Sardinha was designated to make room for Alfredo Figaro, who was promoted from Double-A Erie to pitch Saturday.

"This is about production," Leyland said about Ryan's arrival. "We're going to see if we can get some."

Ryan spent most of last September as the Tigers' everyday catcher, batting .318 with two homers and seven RBIs in 15 games, but went back to prospect status once Detroit traded for Gerald Laird at last December's Winter Meetings. He got off to a slow start in Spring Training and then into the season at Triple-A Toledo, batting .156 in April with 13 strikeouts in 45 at-bats. He rebounded to hit .309 in May with four homers and 12 RBIs.

He made an immediate impact Friday in the Tigers' 10-4, rain-shortened victory over the Brewers when he started in place of Laird, who started each of the Tigers' previous six games. His fourth-inning drive off the top of the left-field fence was initially ruled a go-ahead home run before umpires reviewed the replay and reversed it to a game-tying double. It still helped change the course of the game, and showed some of the power punch the Tigers are looking to find in their lineup.

Laird has caught 51 of the Tigers' first 67 games, a heavier workload than expected. Matt Treanor's hip injury, which is expected to keep him out the rest of the season, increased Laird's workload. While Sardinha provided some quality game-calling in Laird's place, he was just 3-for-31 at the plate with 16 strikeouts.

"It was getting to look like it was a little much for Gerald, but Gerald's still our catcher," Leyland said.

Leyland also noted Ryan's improvement defensively, especially at blocking balls in the dirt to his left.

Jason Beck is a report for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Ryan learning the ropes at backstop
Young Tigers catcher tapped for duty on Tuesday night

By Adam Loberstein / MLB.com

06/30/09 8:51 PM ET

OAKLAND -- It's not easy to hit against Joel Zumaya, Fernando Rodney, Justin Verlander and their high heat.

It's not easy catching them, either.

With Gerald Laird getting the night off, that's the task at hand for Dusty Ryan.

"This is a tough staff to catch," manager Jim Leyland said Tuesday as his Tigers prepared to face the Oakland A's in the second game of their three-game set. "You hear it's hard to hit them. ...Guys throwing 100, 101, 97 [mph], breaking balls, sliders -- it's hard to catch them, too."

Leyland said he had been planning on starting Ryan, who was called up from Triple-A Toledo on June 19, either Tuesday or Wednesday.

He elected to go with the young backstop in Tuesday's game with Armando Galarraga on the hill, thinking it'd be easier for Ryan to catch him than having to tame Verlander's stuff.

"If a guy is throwing 100," Leyland said, "and you don't know where the pitch is going and you need to try throwing a guy out -- that's not easy."

Leyland said Ryan still has a ways to go with learning to handle Major League pitchers. He expects good things from the 24-year-old, though.

"He's a strong guy with some power," Leyland said. "He's a good prospect. ... If he hits, he'll be a regular for a long time."

Production from Ryan would give Leyland a chance to rest Laird on a more regular basis.

With Matt Treanor (right hip) on the disabled list, Laird has started at catcher in 59 of Detroit's first 76 games. Laird is batting .235 over 196 at-bats.

This will be Ryan's fourth game with the big club this season. He batted .304 in 102 at-bats with Toledo between May and June, and had a .374 on-base percentage and .442 slugging percentage in 46 games.

Ryan had a .318 average in 15 games with the Tigers last season.

Adam Loberstein is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Tigers promote Lambert, Avila to Majors
Ramirez, Ryan sent back to Triple-A Toldeo

By Mike Scott / Special to MLB.com

08/04/09 10:53 PM ET

DETROIT -- Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski announced after Tuesday's 8-2 loss to the Orioles that the Tigers have recalled 26-year-old pitcher Chris Lambert from Triple-A Toledo and purchased the contract of catcher Alex Avila from Double-A Erie. Both players will be available for Wednesday's game against Baltimore at Comerica Park.

To make room for Lambert and Avila, the Tigers optioned backup catcher Dusty Ryan and outfielder Wilkin Ramirez back to Toledo. Ramirez had been recalled Tuesday morning and started in left field while batting leadoff. He went 0-for-3 with a strikeout before being removed for Clete Thomas in the seventh inning.

"We knew when we made the move [with Ramirez] that this might be a day-to-day thing," Dombrowski said.

Avila was hitting .264 with 12 home runs and 55 RBIs in 93 games for the Erie SeaWolves. The 22-year-old was selected in the fifth round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Alabama. He is the son of Tigers vice president/assistant general manager Al Avila.

Lambert was 1-2 with a 5.66 ERA in eight games and three starts for the Tigers in 2008. He was 6-7 with a 3.55 ERA in 21 starts for Toledo this season.

Mike Scott is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Tigers send Ryan to San Diego
Detroit acquires player to be named or cash for catcher

By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

12/21/09 3:26 PM EST

The Tigers found a taker for catcher Dusty Ryan, who was designated for assignment last week.

Ryan has been traded to the Padres for a player to be named or cash, the Tigers announced Monday.

The 25-year-old Ryan appeared in 27 games with the Tigers over the past two years, compiling a .257 (18-for-70) average, two homers and 11 RBIs.

Ryan split the '09 season between Detroit and Triple-A Toledo. He batted .257 (52-for-202) with 10 homers and 35 RBIs in 63 games with the Mud Hens, and .154 (4-for-26) with four RBIs in 12 games with the Tigers.

Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Minor Deals: Adams, Ryan, Bass, Santos
By Ben Nicholson-Smith [December 6 at 9:21pm CST]

We've seen our share of major moves since yesterday, but the minor deals keep streaming in, too. Here they are:

-- The Mets signed Russ Adams and Dusty Ryan to minor league contracts, according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. The Blue Jays made Adams their first round pick in 2002, but he disappointed in parts of five seasons in Toronto, batting .247/.313/.372. The Blue Jays drafted Adams as a shortstop, but he has big league experience at second base and in left field. Ryan, 26, batted .199/.333/.349 for the Padres' Triple-A affiliate in 2010. He had cameos with the Tigers in 2008 and 2009.

-- Oddly enough, the Tigers signed a former Mets backstop today. MLB.com's Jason Beck reports that Detroit added Omir Santos on a minor league deal (Twitter link). The 29-year-old last appeared in the majors on the 2009 Mets.

-- The Phillies signed right-hander Brian Bass, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). The 28-year-old has a 5.16 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 183 major league innings.