Christian Bethancourt's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

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.

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.