ATLANTA -- The Brewers claimed veteran catcher Stephen Vogt off waivers on Sunday after the A's designated him for assignment earlier this week.
Vogt, 32, has struggled at the plate this season, batting .217 with four home runs and 20 RBIs. He has struck out 31 times in 157 at-bats. Behind the plate, he has only thrown out 15 percent of runners.
A two-time All-Star, the left-handed-hitting Vogt spent 4 1/2 years with the A's, slugging 49 home runs and driving in 198 runs.
"We think Stephen's a guy who certainly not that long ago had some solid, solid success in this league," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "He hits left-handed, which I think is something that we can use."
The Brewers optioned backup catcher Jett Bandy and outfielder Lewis Brinson to Triple-A Colorado Springs. Bandy has struggled mightily at the plate, hitting just .053 in June and .211 on the season.
"It's not easy to option Jett," Counsell said. "He's been a big part of creating our culture here this year. He's been an important player in that regard."
Counsell said the Vogt acquisition won't affect Manny Pina's playing time behind the plate.
"We're not acquiring Stephen to play every day, I'll tell you that," Counsell said. "Manny's going to continue to catch his certainly fair share of games. I don't anticipate the number of his games going down in any way. So Stephen's going to have to earn some playing time, but we feel like it's a good fit."
Vogt, who is making $2.96 million this year, is arbitration-eligible after this season and a free agent in 2020.