Yankees Acquire Fernando Cruz, Alex Jackson From Reds
The New York Yankees acquired right-handed reliever Fernando Cruz and catcher Alex Jackson from the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night in exchange for catcher Jose Trevino. Both Cruz and Jackson will give the Yankees some extra depth at their respective positions going into 2025. Cruz, 34, has experience in high-leverage situations out of the bullpen, but his numbers in two full seasons in Cincy haven't been very impressive. He has a 4.88 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 207 strikeouts and 63 walks in 132 2/3 innings pitched. However, Cruz also had 23 holds in 2024 and could rack up some holds as more of a middle-relief option in pinstripes next year. Jackson, 28, will be competing with J.C. Escarra and Jesus Rodriguez in spring training to be the backup to Austin Wells in 2025. The former first-rounder in 2014 hit just .122 with three homers and 12 RBI in 58 games with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024.
Free-agent catcher Alex Jackson signed a minor-league deal with the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend. Jackson played in a career-high 58 games with the Tampa Bay Rays this past season but continued to struggle offensively, slashing .122/.201/.27 with a career-high-tying three home runs, 12 RBI, one stolen base and 17 runs scored in 155 plate appearances in his fifth big-league season. The 28-year-old backstop hit .238/.322/.533 with eight home runs and 20 RBI in 28 games with Triple-A Durham. As a career .132/.224/.232 hitter in his five major-league seasons, Jackson merely represents catching depth for the Reds and will likely be sent to Triple-A Louisville to start the 2025 season if he's still on the roster following spring training.
The catcher carousel continues in the lead-up to Opening Day 2022. The Milwaukee Brewers have acquired catcher Alex Jackson in a trade with the Miami Marlins. In exchange, the Marlins are receiving a pair of prospects, shortstop Hayden Cantrelle and pitcher Alexis Ramirez. This trade was made just a few hours after the Brewers acquired another catcher, Victor Caratini, from the San Diego Padres. Both acquisitions follow Tuesday's announcement that Pedro Severino would serve an 80-game suspension for PED violations to start the year. Jackson has played in 61 major league games over the past three years and has slashed just .132/.243/.225. He will likely be the backup to the team's new backup, Caratini, while Omar Narvaez will be the primary catcher for the club.
Miami Marlins rookie catcher Alex Jackson hit the first home run of his major league career in Tuesday's win over the New York Mets. Jackson went 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, all on his second inning solo shot. He also struck out twice, and finished the game with a .065 batting average and .356 OPS. He's had a rough start to his career and still has tons of swing and miss in his bat, but the Marlins will likely give him plenty of playing time for the rest of the season (they put former starting catcher Jorge Alfaro in left field on Tuesday so that Jackson could be behind the plate). Jackson is a high-upside, zero-floor catcher that could be a decent last guy on a dynasty bench.
Miami Marlins catcher Alex Jackson got his first start as a Marlin on Monday against the New York Mets. Jackson was acquired from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Adam Duvall before the trade deadline. Jackson has posted solid numbers in the minor leagues throughout his career, but it has yet to transfer even slightly into major league success. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in his Marlins debut, and is now hitting an almost unbelievable .037 for the season. His career batting average isn't much prettier: .070. There's clearly upside in Jackson's bat, as he has a 70 raw power ranking, but he's going to need to start making contact soon or that raw power isn't going to matter. With the Marlins inching closer to the first overall pick than a playoff spot, Jackson should see plenty of playing time for the last two months of the season.
Miami Marlins catcher Alex Jackson, acquired in the Adam Duvall trade with the Atlanta Braves, will be added to the Marlins active roster, according to general manager Kim Ng. Jackson has been having a great season at the plate in Triple-A, slashing .287/.366/.694 in 123 plate appearances. He's yet to have it translate to any big league success though, as he'll start his Marlins career with an MLB batting line of .070/.200/.093 in 50 plate appearances. He figures to split time behind the plate with Jorge Alfaro, although the Marlins may lean on Jackson a bit more to see what they have in their new 25-year-old backstop.
Atlanta Braves catcher Alex Jackson (hamstring, finger) reported for a rehab assignment at Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday. Jackson has been out of the mix for a few months while dealing with a left hamstring strain and a pinkie injury. However, the 25-year-old hasn't played well this season, batting just .043, and has also played sparingly. As a result, it's highly unlikely that fantasy managers are excited with the update, primarily since he isn't on many fantasy squads anyway. Nevertheless, Jackson is still someone to keep an eye on when and if he returns to the big club, especially if he can carve out a consistent role moving ahead.
Alex Jackson To IL. Jeff Mathis, William Contreras Recalled
Atlanta Braves catcher Alex Jackson (hamstring) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Sunday with a left hamstring strain, the team announced on Twitter. Jackson becomes the second Braves catcher to land on the injured list, joining Travis d'Arnaud who was placed on the 60-day IL Sunday with a left thumb sprain. Jackson had entered the game as a defensive replacement for d'Arnaud on Saturday, and finished 0-for-2 against the Blue Jays. With d'Arnaud and Jackson both on the injured list, the Braves have recalled William Contreras and selected the contract of Jeff Mathis. With multiple catchers across MLB hitting the injured list this week, Contreras is an interesting option to consider as a replacement.
Brian McCann Placed On Injured List, Alex Jackson Recalled
The Atlanta Braves placed catcher Brian McCann (knee) on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with a left knee sprain and recalled rookie catching prospect Alex Jackson from Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move. The veteran McCann was hitting .264/.336/.423 with 10 homers and 39 RBI in 239 at-bats while splitting time with Tyler Flowers behind the dish. Flowers will now split playing time with the team's No. 25 prospect in Jackson. The 23-year-old has impressive raw power (25 homers), but he also is hitting just .224 at Gwinnett with 114 strikeouts and only 20 walks in 81 games, so there's some volatility in his profile. He might not play enough to become relevant in two-catcher leagues, but he's worth watching.
Alex Jackson Likely Coming Up To Replace Brian McCann
Atlanta Braves catching prospect Alex Jackson received a clean bill of health after being removed from the game at Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday, so he'll likely be called up when Brian McCann (knee) is placed on the injured list. McCann injured his left knee on Tuesday night and is expected to land on the shelf, so Jackson will split playing time with Tyler Flowers for the Braves. The 23-year-old is the team's No. 25 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and is hitting .224/.311/.510 with 25 home runs and 57 RBI in 81 games for Gwinnett. He's intriguing from a fantasy perspective because of his power, but there's also too much swing and miss in his game. There's no guarantee he'll be relevant in mixed leagues in the short term as he shares time with Flowers.
Fernando Cruz
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Yankees
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