The Giants announced Monday that they’ve designated veteran catcher Erik Kratz for assignment. The organization will have a week to trade Kratz, release him, or pass him through outright waivers if they still wish to attempt to keep him in the organization.

Kratz, 38, has hit just .125/.222/.281 in his 36 plate appearances as a backup to Buster Posey so far in 2019. The Giants picked up in a spring trade with the Brewers as part of a series of acquisitions aimed at bolstering the organization’s catching depth. However, while Posey is currently on the injured list, San Francisco has seen Stephen Vogt reemerge as an option at the MLB level in addition to the much younger Aramis Garcia.

Kratz become a beloved figure in Milwaukee during his late-season run there last season and has often drawn praise for his leadership and clubhouse presence. He’s never hit much at the big league level (.208/.256/.360), but he does have some pop in his bat, a 32 percent caught-stealing rate in his career and a strong track record a pitch framer (per Baseball Prospectus).