The Tigers have agreed to minor league contracts with catcher Anthony Bemboom and right-hander Brenan Hanifee. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reported (on X) the Bemboom deal, while Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press reported Hanifee’s signing. Both players will be in camp as non-roster invitees.
Bemboom has spent the past two seasons as a depth catcher with the Orioles. He played in 22 games two seasons back but only got into six contests this summer. The left-handed hitter saw most of his action in Triple-A, where he had a league average .288/.365/.417 batting line through 148 trips to the plate.
The Creighton product has appeared at the big league level in each of the last five years. Bemboom has suited up with the Angels, Rays and Orioles and hit .161/.236/.260 over 82 MLB contests. He has a more impressive .252/.343/.395 slash through parts of seven seasons at the Triple-A level. Bemboom will turn 34 before Opening Day.
Hanifee, 25, made his MLB debut with three outings for the Tigers in September. He worked five innings of three-run ball. A minor league signee going into 2023, he’d pitched in a swing capacity at Triple-A Toledo. Hanifee posted a 4.38 ERA with a modest 20.5% strikeout rate while demonstrating strong control over 90 1/3 innings for the Mud Hens. Detroit non-tendered him at the start of the offseason. He returns to the organization without occupying a 40-man roster spot, which he’ll work to reclaim next spring.