Indians sign Graffanino, Rincon to minor league deals

Graffanino, who turned 35 on June 6, has a career batting average of .267 with 58 home runs and 302 runs batted in for six different teams over a 12-year career. He last played for the Milwaukee Brewers last season and batted .238 with nine homers and 30 RBI in 86 games before a knee injury cut his season short in August.

After breaking in with Atlanta in 1996 and spending his first three years with the Braves, Graffanino also played for Tampa Bay, the Chicago White Sox, Kansas City and Boston prior to his stint with Milwaukee.

Rincon was released by Minnesota on June 12 after appearing in 24 games this season. He had a record of 2-2 with a 6.11 earned run average.

The veteran right-hander spent the first eight seasons of his big league career with Minnesota and owns a mark of 30-26 with a 3.69 ERA in 386 games, all but three coming out of the bullpen. He was a workhorse for the Twins between 2004 and 2006, appearing in more than 70 games all three seasons with an ERA of less than 3.00.

Graffanino and Rincon are expected to report to Triple-A Buffalo.