Bethancourt elected free agency Monday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
The Cubs cleared some space on their 40-man roster and Bethancourt has decided to hit free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment. Bethancourt finished the 2024 season strong with an .814 OPS in 24 games with the Cubs, but that was after he had a .466 OPS in 38 contests with the Marlins.
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Cubs' Christian Bethancourt: Records steal Tuesday
Rotowire
Bethancourt went 1-for-3 with a stolen base in Tuesday's 5-0 loss to the Pirates.
Bethancourt has hit safely in his last five games, going 7-for-17 (.412) with 10 RBI and two steals in that span. A seven-RBI game last Wednesday versus the Pirates has fueled much of his recent success. The backup catcher is now at a .224/.262/.414 slash line with three steals, five home runs, 22 RBI and 18 runs scored over 51 contests between the Cubs and the Marlins this season.
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Cubs' Christian Bethancourt: Spearheads comeback with seven RBI
Rotowire
Bethancourt drove in seven runs in Wednesday's comeback win over the Pirates, going 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, a stolen base and three runs scored.
Facing a 10-3 deficit in the seventh inning, Bethancourt slugged a two-run home run off Kyle Nicolas before driving in two more runs on an eighth-inning double. With the Cubs trailing 10-9 in the ninth inning, it was none other than Bethancourt who drove in two runs single to give the Cubs an 11-10 lead, completing the improbable comeback. The 32-year-old Bethancourt has been highly productive since being acquired by the Cubs in late July, batting .407 with three home runs, eight runs scored and 15 RBI in just 29 plate appearances (11 games) as the Cubs' backup catcher behind Miguel Amaya. Bethancourt has certainly made a strong case for more playing time behind the plate, but his career .622 OPS indicates regression is coming for the veteran.
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Cubs' Christian Bethancourt: Homers in loss
Rotowire
Bethancourt went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 8-2 loss to the Tigers.
Bethancourt's fifth-inning home run, his fourth of the season, provided all of Chicago's offense. The 32-year-old continues to serve as the backup to Miguel Amaya behind the plate, giving him limited upside in the short term. Neither catcher has been great offensively, however, as Bethancourt is sporting a .196 average and .614 OPS, compared to a .212 average and .584 OPS for Amaya.
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Cubs' Christian Bethancourt: Goes deep in win
Rotowire
Bethancourt went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in Friday's 6-3 win over the Cardinals.
Bethancourt provided a key blast against new St. Louis starter Erick Fedde, which proved to be the difference in the game. It was just the third home run of the season for Bethancourt, who is batting .183 with a .547 OPS while playing for both the Marlins and now the Cubs. However, in four games since having his contract selected from Triple-A Iowa, the catcher has gone 4-for-11 with two extra-base hits and four RBI. Bethancourt will likely slow down at some point, and his fantasy appeal is limited by his timeshare with Miguel Amaya behind the plate.
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Cubs' Christian Bethancourt: Added to roster
Rotowire
The Cubs selected Bethancourt's contract from Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Bethancourt will fill the roster spot vacated by Tomas Nido (knee) and will share catching duties with Miguel Amaya while Nido recuperates. The 32-year-old slashed just .159/.198/.268 across 88 plate appearances with the Marlins earlier this season.
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Cubs' Christian Bethancourt: Inks minors deal with Cubs
Rotowire
Bethancourt signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs on Friday.
Bethancourt was cut by Miami on June 27 after he slashed just .159/.198/.268 across 88 plate appearances. The 32-year-old will now attempt to get back on track with Triple-A Iowa, but it would likely take a drastic turnaround for the Cubs to consider adding Bethancourt to their big-league roster.
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Christian Bethancourt: Released by Miami
Rotowire
The Marlins released Bethancourt on June 27.
Bethancourt had been outrighted off the 40-man roster after clearing waivers but has now been cut loose. The owner of a career .226/.257/.355 batting line over parts of eight seasons, Bethancourt might have to settle for a minor-league contract with his new organization.
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Marlins' Christian Bethancourt: Sent outright to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Marlins outrighted Bethancourt to Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday.
Bethancourt cleared waivers after exiting the Marlins' 40-man roster a week ago. The catcher can elect free agency if he wants, and it's not yet clear whether he'll take that option or accept the outright assignment.
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Marlins' Christian Bethancourt: Loses roster spot
Rotowire
Bethancourt was designated for assignment by the Marlins on Thursday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
Bethancourt has served as Miami's backup catcher this season, but he has struggled to a .466 OPS across 88 plate appearances. Ali Sanchez is expected to take over as the new second catcher on the depth chart behind Nick Fortes.
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Marlins' Christian Bethancourt: Placed on bereavement list
Rotowire
The Marlins placed Bethancourt on the bereavement list Saturday.
Bethancourt will be away from the team for three games as he tends to more important matters. Jhonny Pereda was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville in a corresponding move and will likely split time with Nick Fortes behind the plate while Bethancourt is out.
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Marlins' Christian Bethancourt: Not starting Sunday
Rotowire
Bethancourt is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against Arizona.
Bethancourt started behind home plate in Saturday's 3-2 loss to Arizona, going 1-for-3 with two strikeouts. Nick Fortes will serve as the catcher Sunday and bat ninth against Diamondbacks left-hander Blake Walston.
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Marlins' Christian Bethancourt: Sitting again Wednesday
Rotowire
Bethancourt is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Tigers.
Bethancourt will sit for the second day in a row while Nick Fortes receives another turn behind the plate. Neither Bethancourt (.349 OPS) nor Fortes (.336 OPS) has been productive at the plate this season and both typically bat near the bottom of the order when included in the lineup, making it difficult to extract any fantasy value from the Marlins' catching situation.
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Marlins' Christian Bethancourt: Starts up rehab assignment
Rotowire
Bethancourt (illness) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday and went 3-for-13 with a double and a stolen base across his first three games with the affiliate.
Bethancourt was placed on the 10-day IL on April 15 after coming down with a viral illness, but his ability to return to game action a few days later suggests that he's tracking toward a minimum-length stay on the shelf. Once Bethancourt is activated, he'll likely be part of a timeshare with Nick Fortes behind the plate.
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Marlins' Christian Bethancourt: Placed on 10-day IL
Rotowire
The Marlins placed Bethancourt on the 10-day injured list Monday due to a viral illness, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
Bethancourt missed Sunday's game against Atlanta due to the illness, and his placement on the IL suggests the Marlins weren't counting on him being available for their three-game series with the Giants to begin the week. Provided he's able to resume working out in the next few days, Bethancourt could be ready to return from the IL when first eligible April 24. In a corresponding move, the Marlins selected Jhonny Pereda's contract from Triple-A Jacksonville on Monday. Pereda will likely serve as the No. 2 catcher behind Nick Fortes while Bethancourt recovers from his illness.
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Marlins' Christian Bethancourt: Sitting Saturday
Rotowire
Bethancourt isn't in the Marlins' lineup Saturday against the Cardinals.
Bethancourt went 0-for-3 in Thursday's series opener and remains hitless through 13 plate appearances to begin the season. Nick Fortes will get the nod behind the dish instead and bat ninth.
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Marlins' Christian Bethancourt: Behind plate Friday
Rotowire
Bethancourt is starting at catcher and batting ninth in Friday's game versus the Pirates, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
Nick Fortes started at catcher on Opening Day, but it will be Bethancourt behind the dish Friday with A.J. Puk on the mound. It will likely be a fairly even split in playing time this season between the two, limiting the already low fantasy upside of each.
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Marlins' Christian Bethancourt: Quiet spring at plate
Rotowire
Bethancourt went 0-for-3 in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.
The veteran catcher is expected to split work behind the plate with Nick Fortes this season for the Marlins, but Bethancourt has done little in camp to attract attention from fantasy GMs. He's batting .217 (5-for-23) through 10 games with a 1:7 BB:K, and a double stands as his only extra-base hit. Bethancourt has slugged exactly 11 homers each of the last two seasons, but his .239/.268/.395 slash line offers little appeal even as an endgame dart for those not wanting to invest heavily at catcher.
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Marlins' Christian Bethancourt: Dealt to Miami
Rotowire
Bethancourt was acquired by the Marlins from the Guardians on Sunday for cash considerations, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.
The 32-year-old was claimed off waivers by Cleveland in early November, but he's now being offloaded following the signing of Austin Hedges. Nick Fortes had a .562 OPS in 108 games for Miami last season and is the only other catcher currently on the big-league roster, which should give Bethancourt a decent path to playing time in 2024.
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Guardians' Christian Bethancourt: Catches on with Cleveland
Rotowire
The Guardians claimed Bethancourt off waivers from the Rays on Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Bethancourt spent a large portion of the 2023 season as the Rays' No. 1 catcher and put up decent counting statistics over his 332 plate appearances (11 home runs, 49 runs, 33 RBI and one stolen base), but an ugly .225/.254/.381 slash line (74 wRC+) made his less useful at the plate from a real-life standpoint. Still, the 32-year-old graded out as a capable defender behind the dish and wasn't a complete zero with the bat, so he should at least make for a dependable backup option and short-side platoon mate in Cleveland for No. 1 backstop Bo Naylor.
