The Brewers have reached an agreement on a minor league contract with Francisco Mejia, a free agent catcher, according to a report by Kiley McDaniel of ESPN. Mejia, a 28-year-old who can switch-hit, recently spent time with the Angels and Rays during spring training but was released by Tampa Bay last week. He will join Triple-A Nashville to provide additional depth while the top catching prospect Jeferson Quero is sidelined due to injury.

Mejia was once highly regarded as one of the top catching prospects and overall prospects in baseball. He reached as high as No. 20 on Baseball America’s top-100 list and No. 11 on MLB.com’s rankings heading into the 2018 season. There was a time when Mejia was close to joining the Brewers back in 2016, but a trade to Milwaukee was vetoed by then-Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who used his no-trade clause to block the move to Cleveland. Instead, Lucroy was traded to the Rangers, and Mejia was eventually dealt to the Padres in exchange for Brad Hand.

Despite his lofty prospect status, Mejia has struggled to find success at the major league level, accumulating over five years of service time with Cleveland, San Diego, and Tampa Bay. In nearly 1100 plate appearances, he holds a batting line of .239/.284/.394. However, he has performed much better in Triple-A, boasting a strong .306/.350/.519 batting line in 633 plate appearances.

In addition to his offensive struggles, Mejia has faced challenges defensively, particularly in his framing and throwing abilities. In 2023, he managed to throw out only four of 42 attempted base stealers. Statcast data also ranks him as one of the least effective catchers in blocking balls in the dirt.

Despite his setbacks, Mejia, at 28 years old, still has time to turn things around. His success in Triple-A suggests he can handle minor league pitching well. While the Brewers currently have William Contreras and Gary Sanchez on the major league roster, with Eric Haase likely ahead of Mejia on the Triple-A depth chart, Mejia offers a veteran presence to share the workload with Haase. Additionally, in the event of multiple catcher injuries, he provides a solid third or fourth option for the organization.