PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates signed catcher John Ryan Murphy to a Minor League contract on Friday and invited him to Spring Training, giving themselves another option and additional depth behind the plate.

Murphy, 28, has spent parts of seven seasons in the Majors with the Yankees, Twins, D-backs and Braves. He is also a native of Bradenton, Fla., which is the Pirates’ Spring Training home.

Murphy put together two solid offensive seasons early in his career, hitting .280 with a 99 OPS+ over 99 games for the Yankees in 2014-15, but most of his current value comes through his defensive work.

Murphy appeared in only 26 games for Arizona and Atlanta last season. He carried a more substantial workload for the D-backs in 2018, when he played 87 games and graded out as one of the Majors’ top defensive catchers. According to Baseball Prospectus, Murphy ranked 11th in framing runs and 10th in fielding runs above average.

Murphy caught 13 of lefty Robbie Ray’s 24 starts in 2018 and essentially served as Zack Greinke’s personal catcher for the first two months of last season. He also holds the distinction of having been behind the plate for the final appearance of Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera.

The Pirates only have two catchers on their 40-man roster: Jacob Stallings, the presumptive starter, and Luke Maile, who signed a split contract earlier this offseason. If they don’t add anyone else, Murphy should have a chance to crack the Opening Day roster. If not, he figures to provide depth in Triple-A Indianapolis along with some combination of Christian Kelley, Jason Delay and Arden Pabst.

Coincidentally, the addition of Murphy continues a recent tradition of former Yankees backup catchers eventually finding their way to the Pirates. That group includes Russell Martin, Chris Stewart and Francisco Cervelli.

The Pirates also formally invited infielder/outfielder Jake Elmore to Spring Training on Friday after previously signing him to a Minor League deal. Elmore, 32, hit .213 with a .479 OPS in 20 games for the Pirates last season. He fared much better in Triple-A, slashing .322/.387/.455 in 109 games while being recognized as Indianapolis’ most valuable player.