As pitchers and catchers make their way down to Arizona and Florida for MLB Spring Training, Lyle Lin has announced that he has signed a minor league contract with the Athletics. Lin was selected on Chinese Taipei’s roster for the upcoming WBC Qualifiers and will now withdraw from the action.
The 27-year-old catcher was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 14th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Arizona State University. He would play in the DBacks organization from 2019-2022, playing as high as Triple-A in their organization. He was released before the 2023 season and signed with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Lin spent only 2023 with the Blue Jays organization, playing 28 games with their High-A affiliate. He hit for a .214 average, with a home run and six RBIs. The Blue Jays released Lin in November 2023.
Lin returned to the Diamondbacks organization for the 2024 season but missed most of the season due to injury. He played 20 games between High-A and Double-A, playing in six games in High-A and 14 at the Double-A level. Lin hit for a .368 average, with a home run, eight RBIs, and four doubles in those games.
Now, Lin will look to compete for a role on the A’s bench, with not many catchers listed on their roster. Shea Langeliers and Venezuelan-native Jhonny Pereda are the only catchers on the A’s 40-man roster. The team also invited Willie MacIver, Kyle McCann, and Daniel Susac to Spring Training, as it will be intriguing to see who could earn the job as the A’s backup catcher this March.
