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World Series vet Erik Kratz glad to be back with Phillies

NEW YORK - It's customary each September that when rosters expand for the season's final month, major-league teams add a third catcher to their rosters. Formerly a fan favorite, the catcher the Phillies summoned to join them in New York this week garnered a bit more attention than the usual No. 3 backstop.

Phillies' catcher Erik Kratz stands in the Phillies dug out against the Miami Marlins on Sunday, May 5, 2013.
Phillies' catcher Erik Kratz stands in the Phillies dug out against the Miami Marlins on Sunday, May 5, 2013.Read more(Yong Kim/Staff Photographer)

NEW YORK - It's customary each September that when rosters expand for the season's final month, major-league teams add a third catcher to their rosters. Formerly a fan favorite, the catcher the Phillies summoned to join them in New York this week garnered a bit more attention than the usual No. 3 backstop.

Erik Kratz will not play much in his second go-round with the Phillies. The journeyman's role on the field will be mostly that of a pinch-hitter. But the 35-year old Telford native and former turkey bacon spokesman adds another veteran presence to an increasingly youthful clubhouse.

That clubhouse has a few different faces than the last time he played for his childhood-favorite team.

"It's definitely a different look," said Kratz, who belted 18 home runs and drove in 52 runs for the Phillies over the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

In the 19 months since the Phillies traded Kratz to the Blue Jays for reliever Brad Lincoln, the alumnus of Christopher Dock High in Lansdale has been a part of four organizations. After originally acquiring him to catch knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, Toronto changed course and dealt him in July 2014 to the Kansas City Royals.

"Which turned out to be awesome," he said. The Royals, of course, made the postseason for the first time since 1985 and took the San Francisco Giants to seven games in the World Series. Kratz was on the playoff roster for all of it, and although he never made it into a game, he raves about the experience.

"Unbelievable. Your dream as a kid," he said. "You never play baseball in the backyard saying, 'Yeah, OK, my first at-bat on Aug. 26 of the regular season.' No, you're like, 'Game 7 of the World Series.' I got to experience the whole thing. It was awesome."

"There were nine or 10 different times that had [Salvador Perez] gotten a hit, they were going to pinch-run for him - because pretty much all of the games were close - and I was going to go in to catch," he added.

"Including Game 7, last at-bat of the World Series, when he popped up [against Madison Bumgarner]. Had he gotten a hit there or walked, had he gotten on-base [and the Royals tied the game], I was going in."

Kratz was with the Royals through this spring and into the season. A foot injury landed him on the disabled list in May and upon his return in June he was designated for assignment. Kansas City opted to keep Drew Butera as its backup catcher.

The Boston Red Sox claimed Kratz off waivers, but his time with them lasted only a week. When they designated him for assignment, he elected for free agency and signed with the Seattle Mariners under the impression he would join the major-league team quickly as the No. 2 catcher. That didn't come to fruition, and he exercised a two-week opt-out clause in his contract. Two days later, on July 17, he signed again with the Phillies and reported to triple-A Lehigh Valley.

The transaction was met with fanfare on social media. Kratz will forever be known for his endorsement of turkey bacon during TV commercials on the Phillies' broadcasts. "It was I guess a successful ad campaign," he said this week. "There's no such thing as bad publicity."

With Cameron Rupp handling the Phils' four rookie starters and Carlos Ruiz catching veteran Aaron Harang, there isn't much playing time available for Kratz. That doesn't mean he can't help the rebuilding team.

"For me, investing in teammates and getting to know these guys and hopefully seeing them achieve the goal of making it back to a playoff contending team, if it's not a goal of mine, what am I here for?" said Kratz, who drove in two runs with a pinch-hit double in Wednesday's loss to the Mets.

"Selfishly, you want to be [in the major leagues]. But if I can't help them, what am I really doing? I won't be in the game as a player 10 years from now. I think I still have quite a few years left, but that was in question this year, too, when teams don't want you in the big leagues. I hope I can" be a valuable veteran presence.

Brown's tumble

The Phillies offered no update Thursday on the health of Domonic Brown, who did not fly with the team to Boston because of a possible concussion. The rightfielder, who turned 28 on Thursday, was expected to see a specialist in Philadelphia after he tumbled over the short right-field wall at Citi Field in the second inning Wednesday.

Players believed to have suffered a possible concussion must pass baseline testing and be cleared by their team's medical staff before returning. In 2011, Major League Baseball implemented a seven-day disabled list for players with concussions.