Cubs' Tyler Payne: Back with Cubs on MiLB deal

Payne re-signed Monday with the Cubs on a minor-league contract, Russell Dorsey of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

When Chicago's catching depth was tested in the final couple weeks of the season, Payne was summoned from Double-A Tennessee to provide depth. He appeared in one game and went hitless across two at-bats before being dropped from the 40-man roster in October. The Cubs valued Payne enough to bring him back as organizational depth, but he's unlikely to see extended big-league action at any point in 2022.