Jose Lobaton C

The Cubs released Lobaton on Monday, Maddie Lee of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Lobaton inked a minor-league deal with Chicago in mid-July and earned a spot in the Cubs' 60-man roster pool, but he never received a callup to the big club after reporting to the organization's alternate training site. He's unlikely to catch on elsewhere before the 2020 season ends, so Lobaton will presumably set his sights on signing a minor-league deal with the Cubs or another organization over the winter.

Lobaton signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs on Tuesday.

Lobaton's deal includes an invitation to summer camp, which suggests he'll fill a spot in the Cubs' 60-man player pool. Before he's eligible to appear in MLB games, however, Lobaton would need to be added to the Cubs' 40-man roster. Unless one or two of the top three backstops on the Cubs' organizational depth chart -- Willson Contreras, Victor Caratini and Josh Phegley -- are out for an extended period of time during the 60-game season, Lobaton isn't likely to see action in the majors in 2020.

Lobaton was released by the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Lobaton was acquired via trade by the Dodgers last August, though he never got into a game with the big-league club. The veteran has a .215/.293/.319 slash line over 413 career major-league games.

Lobaton was traded to the Dodgers for cash, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Players who are not on the 40-man roster can still be traded after the deadline, which is how this deal was possible. Lobaton hit .236/.305/.434 with 13 home runs in 318 plate appearances at Triple-A Tacoma.

Lobaton was reassigned to minor-league camp Tuesday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Lobaton didn't beat out David Freitas for the backup catcher job but could get time at some point this season when Freitas or Omar Narvaez gets injured. The 34-year-old owns a career .215/.293/.319 line in 413 big-league games.

Lobaton signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Monday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

The deal includes an invitation to spring training, where Lobaton will compete with David Frietas for the backup catcher spot. The veteran backstop appeared in just 22 games for the Mets in 2018, hitting .143/.246/.224. Even if Lobaton breaks camp with the Mariners, he doesn't figure to provide much fantasy value given his career .215/.293/.319 triple-slash.

Lobaton's contract was selected by the Mets on Saturday.

Lobaton will be the Mets' third catcher down the stretch, with Travis d'Arnaud (elbow) out for the season and Devin Mesoraco's (neck) status uncertain. The 33-year-old hit .152/.264/.239 in 19 games for the Mets earlier this season and is unlikely to play a significant role even if he earns unexpected at-bats.

Lobaton cleared waivers Thursday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Lobaton will now report to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he'll serve as organizational outfield depth for the Mets. The 33-year-old compiled an unremarkable .152/.264/.239 line across 19 games with the big club this season.

Lobaton will be designated for assignment by the Mets on Tuesday.

Lobaton is slated to be bumped off the 40-man roster, and he hasn't seen game action since June 2 against the Cubs when he drew a walk in one at-bat. In corresponding moves, Dominic Smith and Ty Kelly will be called up from Triple-A Las Vegas.

The Mets recalled Lobaton from Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Lobaton was designated for assignment by the Mets in mid-May shortly after the acquisition of Devin Mesoraco, but will return to the team after going 13-for-35 with two home runs during his minor-league stint. The 33-year-old should serve as the Mets' third catcher and is unlikely to see consistent at-bats, with Kevin Plawecki and Mesoraco both currently healthy.

Lobaton cleared waivers Monday and will head to Triple-A Las Vegas, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Lobaton was designated for assignment by the Mets on Saturday, but he passed through waivers and accepted his next assignment at Triple-A. He'll look to turn his season around after a rough beginning to his 2018 campaign with the big-league squad, batting .152 with three RBI in 18 games.

Lobaton was designated for assignment by the Mets on Saturday.

Lobaton has a .152/.250/.239 slash line in 52 plate appearances this season and unsurprisingly began to lose playing time following the acquisition of Devin Mesoraco. The Mets recalled Tomas Nido to serve as their second catcher as the veteran Lobaton will hope to latch on elsewhere or head to the minors.

Lobaton is out of the lineup Sunday against the Phillies, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Lobaton had been splitting time with Tomas Nido behind the dish since Kevin Plawecki (hand) joined Travis d'Arnaud (elbow) on the disabled list in mid-April, but Lobaton's opportunities will likely fall by the wayside following the Mets' acquisition of Devin Mesoraco on Tuesday. Nido has since returned to the minor-league ranks, while Lobaton will hit the bench for a third straight game Sunday with Mesoraco checking in behind the plate. Don't expect Lobaton to receive more than a start or two per week, effectively removing him from the radar in NL-only formats.

Lobaton is not starting Tuesday against the Reds, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Tomas Nido will get the start behind the plate in his place. Lobaton has been the Mets' primary catcher in the absence of both Kevin Plawecki (hand) and Travis d'Arnaud (elbow), making 13 starts compared to 10 for Nido. Neither has been good with the bat, with Lobaton hitting .163 and Nido hitting .147.

Lobaton is out of the lineup against the Cardinals on Thursday, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

Lobaton will return to the bench for the fourth time in the past six games as Tomas Nido gets another start behind the plate. Over nine appearances with the Mets this season, Lobaton is hitting just .100/.280/.200 with one RBI and eight strikeouts in 20 at-bats.

Lobaton is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cardinals, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Lobaton will take a seat for the second time in three games as Tomas Nido picks up another start behind the dish. The veteran backstop has just one hit in 16 at-bats this season, so the Mets will likely continue to rotate catchers until someone stakes a claim to the job.

Lobaton is not in the lineup Sunday against the Braves, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Lobaton -- who has just one hit in his first 16 at-bats this season -- has yet to take control of the Mets' catching position and should continue to see regular days off as the team searches for a reliable option behind the plate with injuries to its two main catchers. Tomas Nido draws the start for the second time in the past three games.

Lobaton is not in the lineup Friday against the Braves.

Lobaton seems to be in line for decent playing time behind the plate with Kevin Plawecki (hand) and Travis d'Arnaud (elbow) sidelined, but the switch-hitter will head to the bench for a night off nonetheless. Tomas Nido will log a start at catcher in his stead.

Lobaton is in no danger of getting bumped off the 25-man roster for now as the Mets are not pursuing a trade for another catcher, Kristie Ackert of The New York Daily News reports.

The veteran is currently sharing duties behind the plate with Tomas Nido after injuries to Kevin Plawecki (hand) and Travis d'Arnaud (elbow) left the Mets scrambling. Lobaton has been getting most of the playing time of the duo, starting five games to Nido's two, but neither catcher has been doing much at the plate -- Lobaton's .525 OPS only looks good compared to Nido's .334 mark. While d'Arnaud is out for the season, Plawecki is likely a couple of weeks away from rejoining the roster, meaning Lobaton still has a window to lock down his spot as Plawecki's backup for the remainder of 2018.

Lobaton was called up to the majors to replace the injured Kevin Plawecki on Friday.

The Mets recently lost their top two catchers, with Travis d'Arnaud out for the year recovering from Tommy John surgery and Kevin Plawecki out several weeks with a broken hand. Tomas Nido was already called up to fill d'Arnaud's spot, so he and Lobaton are set to split catching duties until Plawecki returns or the team makes a trade for another backstop. Lobaton will start immediately upon his promotion, catching and batting eighth Friday against the Brewers. Lobaton's fantasy relevance will be limited to deep leagues, as he has a long track record of having a weak bat, hitting .218/.295/.324 over his eight-year career.