Towles signed a minor league contract with the Rangers, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports.

Towles was last with a team in 2013, but appears to have latched on in the Rangers' organization following the trade of Geovany Soto to the Athletics on Sunday. He will provide the Rangers with some depth at the position, but is likely not a threat to crack the big league roster this season.

J.R. Towles has signed with the Bridgeport Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League.

Towles, a former top prospect with the Astros, played at the Triple-A level last season between the Cardinals and Dodgers. He turned 30 in February.

Dodgers signed C J.R. Towles to a minor league contract.

Towles began the season with the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate and batted .237 in 19 games before being given his release. The 29-year-old backstop hasn't played in the majors since 2011 and will serve as organizational depth with Los Angeles.

Cardinals signed J.R. Towles to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

Towles hit an underwhelming .214/.280/.315 with one home run and 10 RBI in 52 games for the Twins' Triple-A affiliate last season. He isn't a threat to Tony Cruz's backup job and projects to open 2013 in an organizational depth role.

J.R. Towles has elected free agency.

The 28-year-old backstop hit an underwhelming .214/.280/.315 with one homer and 10 RBI in 52 games for Triple-A Rochester in 2012. Even though there may be hidden upside offensively, with his sub-par defensive ability it may be difficult for Towles to score a spring training invitation.

The Twins "fully expect (Sean) Burroughs and (J.R.) Towles to make a push for the 25-man roster," according to ESPN 1500.

Minnesota signed former top prospects Burroughs, Towles and Steve Pearce to minor league contracts last week. The trio likely was attracted to a Twins roster that was decimated with injuries last season and leaned heavily on their Triple-A affiliate for reinforcements. Twins assistant GM Rob Antony said he believes Towles could push Drew Butera for the third catcher job (behind Joe Mauer and Ryan Doumit) and Burroughs might challenge Danny Valencia for the third base job. Towles (.286/.389/.443 career slash line at Triple-A) isn't much of a defensive catcher, but would be a gigantic offensive upgrade over Butera, who is the major league's worst hitter. Deep AL-only players will want to keep an eye on both Towles and Burroughs in camp.

Twins signed C J.R. Towles to a minor league contract.

He gets an invite to camp. The former top prospect has been a major bust in the big leagues, batting just .187/.267/.315 with 11 homers and 50 RBI over 484 plate appearances. Towles, now 27, picked a decent spot to try to resurrect his career. Joe Mauer is brittle and Drew Butera wouldn't be handed the starting job if (when) Mauer lands on the disabled list in 2012 because of his terrible bat. Minnesota would also probably like to stay away from putting Ryan Doumit at catcher for an extended period of time because of his own health issues. It's not a reach to believe Towles could accrue some at-bats at Target Field in 2012.

Astros sent C J.R. Towles outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Towles, now 27, will become a free agent following the World Series. The former top prospect has been a major bust in the big leagues, batting just .187/.267/.315 with 11 homers and 50 RBI over 484 plate appearances.

Astros recalled C J.R. Towles from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Towles hit just .180/.264/.297 in 128 at-bats with the Astros earlier this season. The failed prospect will function as Houston's emergency catcher down the stretch.

Astros optioned C J.R. Towles to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

With Jason Castro (knee) likely out for the season and Humberto Quintero (ankle) missing well over a month, Towles had plenty of chances to impress, but he batted just .180/.264/.297 over 128 at-bats, numbers that are right along with his career digits. The Astros have opted to keep Carlos Corporan as Quintero's backup.

J.R. Towles (chin) is now available to play defense.

Good news. Towles hasn't played since suffering a gash on his chin from being hit in the catcher's mask with a foul tip during Friday's game. While he originally tried to wear a hockey-style catching mask to compensate for the injury, he has simply added some padding to his standard mask.

J.R. Towles is unavailable to catch while the cut on his chin heals.

The cut rubs up against his catcher's mask and the Astros don't want to risk it getting worse. Towles will be available only to pinch-hit, which he did Saturday, likely for the next few days. The Astros have called up Brian Esposito to serve as the backup to Carlos Corporan.

J.R. Towles returned to action on Saturday June 25.

J.R. Towles had to exit Friday's game in the third inning after taking a pair of foul tips off the mask.

Towles has had a rough week. He was starting for the first time in over a week Friday due to being beat up from numerous foul tips, and now it's knocked him out again. He had a bloody chin as a result of one of the foul tips, though it's not clear if he might have suffered a concussion. We'll update his status when more is known. Carlos Corporan took his spot behind the plate.

J.R. Towles returned to action on Wednesday June 22.

J.R. Towles remained out of the lineup Sunday for the second straight game due to general soreness.

Towles is available off the bench, if needed, but the Astros would prefer not to play him. He could be back in the lineup Monday against the Rangers. Carlos Corporan is getting another start.

J.R. Towles was a late scratch from Saturday's lineup due to general soreness.

Towles will join Hunter Pence for Astros scratched from Saturday's game against the Dodgers. Carlos Corporan will start in Towles place. He is considered day-to-day.

J.R. Towles delivered a game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth as the Astros beat the Dodgers 2-1 on Wednesday.

It was the third hit of the game for Towles, who had been just 1-for-33 this month. Hopefully the Astros will give him more playing time after this one. Humberto Quintero has the much stronger defensive rep, but it seems like Astros pitchers are doing just fine with Towles behind the plate. For what it's worth, the team is 8-11 in his starts this year and 11-20 when Quintero catches.

J.R. Towles hit a solo home run in the eighth inning on Sunday, driving in the Astros' lone run in their 4-1 loss to the Brewers.

The bomb was his second of the season, while he's now batting a robust .385. Towles is a career .205 hitter through his first 307 at-bats, so his hot start cannot be expected to last, but it is nice to see him provide the Astros with any offensive production at all after it looked like he was bound to never experience any time above the Mendoza Line.

J.R. Towles (ankle) is back in the Astros' starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets.

Towles has missed the last four games with a sprained ankle. The 27-year-old backstop is 7-for-19 (.368) with one homer and two RBI to begin the young season.