Blue Jays claim Eli Whiteside

The Toronto Blue Jays have claimed catcher Eli Whiteside, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports:

#BlueJays claim Eli Whiteside. Becomes fourth catcher. Non-tendered Bobby Wilson last week. Still could trade Arencibia or Buck.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 3, 2012

Rosenthal adds that Whiteside will become Toronto’s fourth catcher. The team non-tendered Bobby Wilson last week, but beyond Whiteside they still have Travis D’Arnaud, J.P. Arencibia and John Buck on their roster.

Whiteside spent the 2012 campaign with the San Francisco Giants, but he was selected off waivers by the New York Yankees following the season. After he avoided arbitration with the Yankees he was designated for assignment by the club.

After spending most of his career at the minor league level, Whiteside caught on with the Giants and was a backup behind the plate for the past four seasons. Last year he only appeared in 12 games for San Francisco, collecting one hit over 11 at-bats. The 33-year-old also hit .224/.296/.303 with 11 doubles and one home run over 201 at-bats for the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate.

Over parts of five seasons at the major league level Whiteside has hit .215/.273/.335.