The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed catcher Juan Centeno to a minor league deal, per a tweet from the team's Triple-A affiliate, the Reno Aces on Monday. Centeno will provide the organization with some veteran depth behind Carson Kelly and Daulton Varsho. The 32-year-old has collected 371 career plate appearances in the Majors dating back to the 2013 season. He most recently appeared in seven games for the Boston Red Sox in 2019, collecting a pair of hits, two RBI, and a stolen base in 18 plate appearances. Most recently, Centeno split the 2021 season between the Detroit Tigers' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, batting .281 with a .345 on-base percentage and two home runs in 204 plate appearances.
Texas Rangers catcher Juan Centeno will get the start behind the plate on Wednesday, as regular starter Robinson Chirinos receives a day off. Centeno, a career .226 hitter, is hitting just .176 so far in 35 plate appearances. In 282 career PAs, he is hitting just .216 against right-handed pitchers and has just five home runs. We fully expect him to struggle against Cleveland Indians right-handed starting pitcher Corey Kluber. For this reason, Centeno is someone we are staying clear of in DFS lineups Wednesday.
Juan Centeno to Start Behind the Plate for the Rangers Saturday
Texas Rangers backup catcher Juan Centeno will start in place of Robinson Chirinos on Saturday against the Astros. The journeyman is a capable receiver, but less so at the plate. A career .254/.304/.348 hitter, Centeno doesn't bring any upside to fantasy and is just there to be a good defensive player when their starter needs a break. Owners of Chirinos shouldn't be worried at this point despite his less than stellar start to the season.
Brian McCann Returns To Lineup; Juan Centeno Demoted
Brian McCann has been activated from the disabled list and catcher Juan Centeno was optioned to Triple-A. McCann went 1-for-3 with an RBI single in his return to the lineup after being sidelined with knee tendinitis on August 13th. McCann and backup Evan Gattis are now healthy as the Astros will use a timeshare with both moving forward. McCann is hitting .233 this season with 13 home runs and 49 runs batted in. Monitoring his health over the next week would be the prudent move before he should be added in fantasy leagues.
The Houston Astros will start catcher Juan Centeno Monday. The backstop will be in the No. 8 spot tonight versus Zack Greinke and the Arizona Diamondbacks. With Evan Gattis (concussion) and Brian McCann (knee) both on the disabled list, Centeno figures to get the bulk of playing time in the near future. He is worthy of consideration as he has hit .350 with two home runs in his first 20 at-bats of the season.
Houston Astros catcher Juan Centeno homered for the second time in as many starts in the Astros win on Thursday. Centeno's fourth-inning home run was one of three homers in the inning, and he has three hits in his two starts this season. With veteran catcher Brian McCann expected to be activated from the concussion disabled list on Saturday, it is unclear whether the Astros will carry three catchers. The most likely scenario is Centeno heads back to the minors, but he is proving to be a capable fill-in if another injury befalls McCann or Evan Gattis.
Houston Astros catcher Juan Centeno had two hits, including a solo home run, in the Astros' 6-2 win over the Tigers on Tuesday. Centeno got the call-up from Triple-A while catcher Brian McCann is recovering from a concussion. Centeno's stay up in the majors may be brief with McCann's possible return this weekend, and backup Evan Gattis should also receive a good portion of the playing time this week. Nonetheless, it has been that type of season for Houston where a player gets called up and immediately contributes. Centeno certainly has earned another start this week and was hitting .368 through 76 at-bats in the minors this season. It is unclear at this time, however, how long Centeno will stay with the club.
