Nationals reportedly re-sign veteran catcher Jhonatan Solano to minor league deal

According to multiple reports, the Washington Nationals re-signed veteran catcher Jhonatan Solano to a minor league deal.

Solano, 31, was originally signed by the Nationals as an amateur free agent out of Columbia in 2005, and he’s spent all but one season of his professional career in the organization.

In 2015, Solano signed with the Miami Marlins, and played seven games in the majors for the Fish, but he returned to the Nats last winter and spent the 2016 campaign at Triple-A Syracuse, putting up a .225/.286/.260 line in 54 games and 194 PAs with the Nationals’ top minor league affiliate.

Solano spent some time in the nation’s capital after Wilson Ramos was injured, as the Nationals prepared for the postseason.

“Solano is here actually in case something happens to [Jose] Lobaton or [Pedro] Severino,” Dusty Baker explained.

“We just didn't, you know, feel that if something happened to those two guys -- you know, [Spencer] Kieboom is up here first, but Solano has more experience than Kieboom.”

In 36 games and 87 PAs in the majors with the Nationals in 2012-13, Solano has put up a combined .217/.253/.349 line with five doubles and two home runs.

MLBTraderumors.com reported on the Nationals re-signing Solano on Monday and this afternoon, Washington Post writer Jorge Castillo too reported that the catcher will be returning to the organization in 2017.