Lavarnway got the start Saturday, going 1-for-3 with a solo shot, his first home run of the season.

A.J. Pierzynski remains locked in as the Braves' starting catcher, but if Lavarnway can begin to supply some consistent offense, he may earn more playing time in the season half. Until that happens though, his fantasy value is restricted to only the deepest of leagues.

Lavarnway was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's David O'Brien reports.

Lavarnway will swap places with Christian Bethancourt, replacing the latter as A.J. Pierzynski's top backup. The Braves typically try to rest Pierzynski against left-handed pitchers, so Lavarnway figures to get a good chunk of his at-bats against southpaws. Once a highly regarded prospect in the Red Sox organization, the 27-year-old Lavarnway was designated for assignment by the Orioles in late May. He owns a .192/.246/.300 slash line in 333 career plate appearances.

Lavarnway signed a minor league deal with the Braves on Saturday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's David O'Brien reports.

He was designated for assignment by the Orioles earlier this week and elected free agency. The Braves do not have a young catcher in the organization who has displayed big-league caliber defense and big-league caliber offense, so it's a logical landing spot for Lavanrway. He will serve as organizational depth for now.

Lavarnway has elected free agency.

Rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk after being designated for assignment, Lavarnway has decided to see what opportunities await him on the open market. Lavarnway went just 3-for-28 in 10 games with Baltimore this season and a .192/.246/.300 career hitter at the major league level.

Lavarnway was designated for assignment Tuesday, Eddie Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports.

The Orioles will give Steve Clevenger, who was recalled from Triple-A on Tuesday, a shot as the backup to Caleb Joseph for the time being. Matt Wieters could return in early June, however, so Clevenger's reps are likely to be limited. Lavarnway figures to land at Triple-A Norfolk after batting just .107 in 28 at-bats for Baltimore this seaosn (10 games).

Lavarnway will start behind the plate against the Rays on Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Lavarnway was added to the roster just before Opening Day after a hot spring training. While he will receive the start Wednesday against the Rays, his roster spot with the club remains tentative, with Matt Wieters (elbow) likely returning to the club at some point in April.

Lavarnway was officially added to the roster prior to Monday's game, MASN Sports reports.

The Orioles liked Lavarnway a lot this spring and he drew praises for both his offense and defense. Steve Clevenger also made the roster, but Clevenger could be sent down after Monday's game when the Orioles activate Chris Davis. It looks like Lavarnway will serve as the backup catcher and he should see occasional starts until Matt Wieters is ready to be activated.

Lavarnway will have his contract selected prior to Monday's Opening Day game, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Lavarnway would give the Orioles a third option behind the plate, which its a somewhat peculiar move. However, with only 11 hitters on the current active roster, the move would give them the standard 12. The club will have to make a corresponding move, and Ryan Webb to the disabled list is considered a possibility.

Lavarnway was reassigned to minor-league camp Sunday.

Steve Clevenger beat out Lavarnway for the backup job behind Caleb Joseph, and the Orioles should have Matt Wieters (elbow) available before the end of April. Lavarnway thus appears to be two injuries away from reaching the major leagues.

Lavarnway appears to be the favorite to win the backup catcher spot for the Orioles to begin the season, CSN Baltimore reports.

If that materializes, Steve Clevenger will likely be bumped from the roster. Lavarnway offers more upside with the bat, but at age-27, his prospect status from his time with the Red Sox has faded over the past few seasons. The Orioles will have to make a move in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for Lavarnway to be added.

Lavarnway threw out two runners attempting to steal in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates, MASN Sports reports.

Lavarnway, in camp as a minor leaguer after bouncing around with several teams in the offseason, is attempting to win at least a temporary job as the backup catcher. Manager Buck Showalter has said the best defensive candidate is the front-runner for the job, and he had earlier noted Lavarnway's bat has played strong in the minors. It looks like Lavarnway may have stepped ahead of J.P. Arencibia and Steve Clevenger in the race for the job.

Lavarnway remains a candidate to begin the season as Baltimore's backup catcher, MASN Sports reports.

With Matt Wieters set to begin the season on the disabled list, Caleb Joseph appears set to be the primary starter. That leaves Lavarnway in competition with Steve Clevenger and J.P. Arencibia for the backup job. Clevenger is the only one of the three on the 40-man roster, but that does not mean the Orioles would not make a move to keep the one that can handle the job the best. Lavarnway can also play first base when needed, which could be a very slight advantage. Of the three, Lavarnway has the best spring training line at the plate, going 5-for-19 with two doubles.

Lavarnway was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk on Friday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

The Orioles had previously added Lavarnway to their 40-man roster on Dec. 23, when they scooped him up off waivers from the Cubs. The 27-year-old will stick around in the organization as a depth catcher, likely only getting an opportunity with the big club if an injury arises. With the Red Sox's Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket last season, Lavarnway slashed .283/.389/.370 over 62 games.

Lavarnway has been designated for assignment by the Orioles.

It's been a brutal winter for Lavarnway, as this is his fourth DFA. There's not much to say about him as a fantasy asset, as he's organizational depth for whichever team ends with him at this point.

Lavarnway was claimed off waivers by the Orioles on Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASN reports.

Lavarnway, who was claimed by the Cubs last week, will join the Orioles organization and will likely serve as organizational depth. He spent nearly all of last season in the minors, where he hit a cumulative .285 with 24 RBI in 235 at-bats.

Lavarnway was claimed off waivers by the Cubs on Friday, Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago reports.

Lavarnway was a casualty of the winter meetings for the Dodgers, who added Yasmani Grandal to the roster. He is now on the 40-man roster for the Cubs, but with Miguel Montero and Welington Castillo on the major league roster, he will likely serve as organizational depth for the club.

Lavarnway was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Thursday.

The Dodgers have been active at the 2014 winter meetings, and Lavarnway's designation is simply one casualty of the roster restructuring. With both A.J. Ellis, and now Yasmani Grandal, on the roster, there simply wasn't a need for another catcher on the Major League roster.

Larvanway was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers on Friday.

Larvanway became available after he was designated for assignment by the Red Sox after signing Pablo Sandoval. The Dodgers also designated catcher Drew Butera for assignment in a corresponding move, so Larvanway could have a chance to crack the big league roster after appearing in only nine games in the majors last season.

Lavarnway was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on Tuesday, Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

The Red Sox made the Pablo Sandoval signing official Tuesday, and thus needed to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for him. After collecting just 10 plate appearances with the big league club in 2014, Lavarnway was deemed expendable. The team will have to clear another spot once they make the Hanley Ramirez signing official.

Lavarnway was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket on Wednesday, Sean McAdam of CSN New England reports.

Lavarnway will join a plethora of callups by the Red Sox on Wednesday following the end of Pawtucket's season. The 26-year-old will provide the Sox with some depth at the catcher position behind Christian Vazquez and David Ross. He hit .283/.389/.370 with three home runs and 22 RBI over 62 games in Triple-A this season.