Blue Jays Sign Christian Bethancourt, Richard Lovelady To Minors Deals
The Toronto Blue Jays signed free-agent catcher Christian Bethancourt and left-hander Richard Lovelady to minor-league deals with invites to major-league spring training on Wednesday. Bethancourt will compete with Tyler Heineman in camp for the right to serve as Alejandro Kirk's primary backup in 2025. Meanwhile, Lovelady has had success against lefty hitters in his career and will give the Blue Jays more left-handed depth for their bullpen. Bethancourt, 33, broke into the big leagues back in 2013 with the Atlanta Braves and will be on his seventh MLB team. In 62 games with the Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs last year, he hit .209 with five home runs and 22 RBI in 147 plate appearances. Lovelady, 29, has held lefties to a .232/.312/.342 line in his five years in the majors. He had a 4.46 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with two saves in 34 1/3 frames with the Cubs and Rays in 2024.
Chicago Cubs catcher Christian Bethancourt was instrumental in Wednesday's stunning win over the hosting division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, notching three hits, a homer, and seven RBI in the victory. After connecting with a two-run homer to left field in the seventh inning, Bethancourt hooked a two-run double to left field to trim the Cubs' deficit to 10-7 in the eighth frame. He then delivered a two-run single to left field to give the Cubs an 11-10 lead in the ninth. The 32-year-old veteran backstop has hit more homers (three) in 11 games with Chicago than he hit (two) in 38 outings with the Miami Marlins earlier this year, going 11-for-27 with 15 RBI and two stolen bases to boot. He's pushing for more at-bats in the Windy City.
Chicago Cubs catcher Christian Bethancourt has been recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Friday. The Cubs were in need of another catcher with Tomas Nido (knee) heading to the injured list. Bethancourt gives the Cubs depth behind the plate but he isn't much of an upgrade with the bat. He was hitting well below .200 before being let go by the Miami Marlins in early July. The Cubs have been looking for reliable production from the catcher spot all season long. However, it's unlikely that Bethancourt is the answer to their problems. Fantasy managers can continue to ignore him with Miguel Amaya likely getting most of the time behind the plate.
Christian Bethancourt Placed On The Bereavement List
Miami Marlins catcher Christian Bethancourt was placed on the bereavement list on Saturday and will be out of the lineup for the next three days. In a corresponding move, the Marlins promoted backstop Jhonny Pereda from Triple-A Jacksonville. Bethancourt has struggled through his first 31 games of the season, posting a .162/.208/.250 line with just one home run and three doubles. Nick Fortes is starting at catcher Saturday afternoon, batting in the nine-hole, and should be expected to see the majority of starts will Bethancourt is away. Fortes has posted a modest .173 AVG with two long balls across 41 games this season. Fortes is best to fade in DFS as he has struggled to show consistency this season and is projected to face Michael Lorenzen, who enters Saturday with a 3.35 ERA.
Miami Marlins catcher Christian Bethancourt (illness) has been activated from the 10-day injured list on Wednesday. The 32-year-old will return to the field after missing the last week or so due to an illness. His return won't mean too much for fantasy managers as Bethancourt has struggled this season. He's hitless through 23 plate appearances, so fantasy managers can look elsewhere for help. Jhonny Pereda has been optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville to make room for Bethancourt on the active roster.
Miami Marlins catcher Christian Bethancourt (illness) has been placed on the 10-day injured list on Monday. It appears Bethancourt is dealing with some sort of illness and he'll be sidelined for at least a week or so. In a corresponding move, the Marlins have selected catcher Jhonny Pereda from Triple-A Jacksonville. He figures to split up the playing time behind the plate with Nick Fortes while Bethancourt is sidelined.
The Cleveland Guardians have agreed on a trade to send catcher Christian Bethancourt to the Miami Marlins. It's being reported that the Guardians will get cash considerations in exchange for Bethancourt. That's not too bad, considering the Guardians picked up Bethancourt off waivers last month. However, they no longer needed his services after signing catcher Austin Hedges on Sunday. Last season, Bethancourt slashed .225/.254/.381 with 11 homers and 33 RBI. At the moment, Bethancourt is expected to split time behind the plate with Nick Fortes. He won't be a fantasy relevant player in most fantasy formats.
Guardians Claim Christian Bethancourt Off Waivers From Rays
The Cleveland Guardians claimed catcher Christian Bethancourt off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday. Bo Naylor will be Cleveland's starting catcher moving forward, but Bethancourt represents a decent backup option for Cleveland. The 32-year-old hit just .225 (71-for-315) in 104 games for the Rays in 2023, but he also had a career-high-tying 11 home runs, 16 doubles, 33 RBI and 49 runs scored in 332 plate appearances before the Rays moved on. Bethancourt is also a decent defender behind the plate, giving the Guardians solid insurance at the position behind Naylor heading into the 2024 campaign.
Tampa Bay Rays catcher Christian Bethancourt has been sent outright to Triple-A. Chances are Bethancourt will be unclaimed off waivers and wind up selecting free agency. Bethancourt started 89 games but eventually lost the starting job to Rene Pinto. He produced a .635 OPS on the season. Infielder Tristan Gray and outfielder Raimel Tapia were also placed on outright waivers.
Christian Bethancourt On The Bench Again Wednesday
Tampa Bay Rays catcher Christian Bethancourt will start on the bench for the second game of the wild-card series on Wednesday against the Texas Rangers. Rene Pinto will do the catching for the second straight game and bat in the nine-hole against Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. Bethancourt has hit just .225/.254/.381 this year with 11 home runs, 33 RBI and 49 runs scored in 315 at-bats, and he began losing playing time to Pinto in the final month of the regular season in September. Pinto wasn't a whole lot better in 2023, batting .252/.267/.456 with six home runs and 16 RBI in 103 at-bats for the Rays. Fantasy managers playing DFS in the postseason should look elsewhere at the catcher position.
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