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The Los Angeles Angels have signed veteran infielder Luis Rodriguez to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training, reports Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
The signing of Rodriguez makes up for the loss of Angel Sanchez, who was snatched away from the Halos by the White Sox in the Rule 5 Draft a few weeks ago. The 32-year-old Rodriguez will likely compete with Andrew Romine and recent acquisition Brendan Harris for the spot on the Angels' bench that was occupied by Maicer Izturis for the last eight seasons.
Rodriguez has six years of big-league experience as a back-up infielder but has not appeared in the major since 2011, when he played in 44 games for the Seattle Mariners. The switch-hitter spent the 2012 season with the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate, hitting a solid .296/.389/.452 with 12 home runs in 102 games.
He is a career .238/.314/.324 hitter with 10 home runs in 407 major-league games.
