DETROIT -- As it stands today, the Detroit Tigers plan to give Bryan Holaday a chance to back up Alex Avila at catcher next season.
By doing so, Holaday would essentially vacate his spot in Triple-A Toledo. But the Tigers already appear to have filled his hole by signing catcher Ronny Paulino to a minor league deal.
CBS Sports' Jon Heyman
. The Tigers confirmed the move to MLive.com early Wednesday.
Paulino, 32, is considered to be organizational depth, and has not been added to the Tigers' 40-man roster.
He will likely serve as the backup in Triple-A to James McCann, who is expected to be offered a chance to compete with Holaday for the backup role behind Avila this spring.
Detroit
and assigned him to Toledo to fill a spot vacated by Holaday, who was called up to replace Avila after he was placed on the disabled list with delayed concussive symptoms.
Paulino batted .234 between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk before joining the Mud Hens last season. In 13 games in Toledo, he hit .267 with two doubles, a home run and six RBIs.
Paulino last appeared in the majors with the Orioles in 2012, and has hit .272 in parts of eight seasons with the Pirates, Marlins, Mets and O's. He batted .254 in 64 at-bats with the Orioles in 2012 and elected to become a free agent in the offseason.
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