MLB Player News

The Rays added Bethancourt to the 26-man active roster ahead of Monday's game against the Red Sox.

The Rays acquired Bethancourt from the Athletics on Saturday, but the team waited a couple days to make a corresponding transaction to create room for him on the active roster. With Rene Pinto heading to Triple-A Durham on Monday, Bethancourt is expected to step in as the No. 2 backstop behind Francisco Mejia while Mike Zunino (shoulder) is on the injured list. The righty-hitting Bethancourt also picked up reps at first base and designated hitter during his time in Oakland and could make starts versus left-handed pitching at either spot for the platoon-happy Rays.

The Rays optioned Pinto to Triple-A Durham on Monday.

Pinto was sent to the minors after Tampa Bay added another catcher to their ranks in Christian Bethancourt, whom the team acquired from the Athletics over the weekend. Though he had seemed to work his way into a timeshare behind the plate with Francisco Mejia while Mike Zunino (shoulder) has been on the shelf, Pinto didn't perform well enough to stick around as a third backstop. Over his month-long stay with the big club, Pinto slashed .205/.225/.282 across 12 games.

Alvarez will continue his development in the minors and isn't an option to replace James McCann (oblique) on the major-league roster, The New York Daily News reports.

The 20-year-old was only recently promoted to Triple-A, where he's gone 2-for-16 with a double through his first five games. Alvarez's bat will probably wake up before long at Syracuse, but the Mets are more concerned with his development and long-term outlook than in rushing the young catcher to the majors to plug a hole in the roster. Prior to his promotion, the team's top prospect slashed .277/.368/.553 through 67 games for Double-A Binghamton with 18 home runs.

The Mets don't anticipate that McCann (oblique) will be ready to return from the 10-day injured list prior to the Aug. 2 trade deadline, David Lennon of Newsday reports.

Manager Buck Showalter didn't offer up a firm timeline for McCann's return from the IL when he was deactivated Sunday, but the skipper noted the veteran backstop would be sidelined for multiple weeks. As a result, McCann's expected absence through the deadline doesn't come as a major surprise, and it could prompt the Mets to look to the trade market for catching help. Top prospect Francisco Alvarez is waiting in the wings at Triple-A Syracuse, but Anthony DiComo of MLB.com suggests that the organization still intends on having him continuing his development in the minors in 2022. With that in mind, Tomas Nido will tentatively slot in as the Mets' No. 1 backstop until the Mets bring in outside help at the position.

Rutschman went 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and two runs scored in Sunday's 9-5 win over the Angels.

Rutschman has found a little consistency at the plate again with hits in five of his last seven games. He's gone 6-for-19 (.316) with seven walks in that span. The catcher has lifted his batting average from .206 to .221 during this stretch of success, and he has a .714 OPS with four home runs, 12 RBI, 22 runs scored, a stolen base and 13 doubles through 41 contests this year.

Vazquez went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, a double and an additional run and RBI in an 11-6 win against the Yankees on Sunday.

Vazquez tagged New York starter Jameson Taillon for a solo shot in the third inning and tacked on an RBI double followed by a run in the fifth. The backstop has now tallied three multi-hit games through eight July contests and is 10-for-34 with two doubles and a homer in that span.

Stassi went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer and a strikeout during Sunday's 9-5 loss to the Orioles.

Stassi sat out twice in the last three games, but he helped to bring the Angels within four runs during the eighth inning Sunday. In spite of his sporadic playing time, he's recorded two extra-base hits over the last three games and has gone 3-for-9 with a homer, a double, three runs, two RBI and two walks during that time.

Jackson (finger) began a rehab assignment Saturday with the Brewers' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate, going 1-for-1 with a double, a walk and a run.

Jackson started at catcher but played only three innings before his day was done. He'll likely make several more starts behind the dish in the minors before the Brewers activate him from the 10-day injured list.

Stephenson went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 10-5 win over the Rays.

Stephenson took Shane Baz deep as part of the Reds' seven-run third frame. He's gone 5-for-9 in two games since returning from a month-long stint on the injured list. The 25-year-old improved his season slash line to .320/.372/.493 with six home runs and 33 RBI through 164 plate appearances. Since the start of June, Stephenson is 14-for-35 (.400) with four extra-base hits in nine games.

Lee went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI in Sunday's 6-1 win over the Athletics.

Lee knocked in half of the Astros' runs with an RBI single in the fifth inning and a two-run double in the seventh. The 23-year-old catcher had gone 0-for-4 with a walk in his first three big-league games, making one start in that stretch. With veteran Martin Maldonado around, Lee's playing time is likely to be limited to one or two starts a week, though an extended stretch of good hitting could help Lee force his way into the lineup more often while Jason Castro (knee) is out.