Former Pirates catcher Chris Stewart gets one-year deal with Braves

Catcher Chris Stewart agreed to $575,000, one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves.

Stewart, 35, hit .183 in 51 games with the Pirates in 2017. He is a seven-year veteran, playing four seasons for the Pirates.

Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos announced the roster addition after the Braves’ first springtraining workout for pitchers and catchers.

“This is a depth move, an insurance move,” general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Wednesday at the first spring training workout

Stewart will back up catchers Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki.

“He’s on a big league, nonguaranteed deal,” Anthopoulos said. “We’ll see how he looks in camp. If something happens in the next six weeks, it gives us another option.”

Marlins

Injury-plagued left-hander Wei-Yin Chen, Miami’s highest-paid pitcher, isn’t expected to be ready for opening day, but the team hopes he can join the rotation sometime in the season. Chen is entering the third season of an $80 million, five-year contract. A balky left elbow limited Chen to nine games last year and 22 in 2016. He was a durable starter with Baltimore and has a career record of 53-38 in six seasons, but is only 7-6 with the Marlins. Chen began a throwing program in mid-January, and theMarlins won’t rush his return, manager Don Mattinglysaid.

Elsewhere

As teams started spring training workouts across Florida and Arizona, the players association had a Kansas City Royals scout escorted out of the union’s opening training session for unsigned free agents. About 15 players attended the first day of workouts Wednesday at the union’s camp in Bradenton, Fla. Media was barred from the IMG Academy. The scout was told he was not welcome but could set up a session with an individual player at the player’s discretion, several people familiar with the situation said. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because no statements were authorized.More than 90 players remain without agreements among the 166 who exercised their free-agency rights in November, the most sluggish market since the final offseason of collusion in 198788. Union head Tony Clark, saidabout 15 more players are likely to arrive at the freeagentcamp this week.

• Former Cleveland Indians star Tito Francona — father of Terry Franconoa and a longtime resident of New Brighton — died Tuesday. Obituary, Page B-3.