Milwaukee has its new backup catcher.

The Brewers announced the acquisition of San Diego Padres catcher Victor Caratini on Wednesday afternoon, a day before they are scheduled to open the regular season. Milwaukee sent back outfielder Korry Howell and catcher Brett Sullivan in the trade.

Caratini will be a familiar name to Brewers fans after he spent the first four years of his major league career with the Chicago Cubs. The 28-year-old got a bigger role last season with the Padres when he played in a career-high 116 games. He batted .227 with seven home runs and a career-best 39 RBI. Caratini has hit well when playing in Milwaukee, posting a .327 batting average and .935 OPS.

The move by Milwaukee was necessary after its expected backup — Pedro Severino — was lost to an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance.