Major League Baseball

Wieters earns backup job to Cardinals' Molina

Published Mar. 22, 2019 4:40 p.m. ET

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JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Matt Wieters has been added to the St. Louis Cardinals' roster after earning the back-up job behind catcher Yadier Molina.

Wieters' contract was selected Friday from Triple-A Memphis. He gets a $1.5 million salary while in the major leagues and $200,000 while in the minors. He can earn $500,000 in performance bonuses based on games: $100,000 each for 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80.

To clear a roster spot, the Cardinals designated left-hander Chasen Shreve for assignment.

A four-time All-Star with Baltimore from 2009-16, Wieters was competing with Francisco Pena for the back-up job.

Wieters spent the past two seasons with Washington. He hit .238 with eight homers and 30 RBIs last year, when he was sidelined between March 31 and April 12 with a strained left oblique muscle and between May 10 and July 9 with a strained left hamstring.

His contract with the Nationals paid $21 million over the two years.

Shreve, a 28-year-old left-hander, had a 5.00 ERA in eight spring training appearances with nine walks and five strikeouts in nine innings.

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