Guardians' Austin Hedges: Re-signing with Cleveland
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The Guardians agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract with Hedges on Wednesday, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.
Hedges will return to Cleveland as Bo Naylor's backup. The 32-year-old slashed only .152/.203/.220 with two homers in 66 contests for the Guardians this season but is lauded for his defense and handling of a pitching staff.
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Guardians' Austin Hedges: Knocks second homer
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Hedges went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the White Sox.
Hedges' playing time remains sparse, and he hasn't done enough with the bat to challenge Bo Naylor for the starting catcher job. Since the start of August, Hedges has gone 7-for-40 (.175) with four RBI over 21 contests. He's now slashing .160/.213/.232 with two homers, 14 RBI, 12 runs scored and two stolen bases over 138 plate appearances this season.
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Guardians' Austin Hedges: Filling in for resting Naylor
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Hedges will start at catcher and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Rangers.
With top backstop Bo Naylor getting the afternoon off with a lefty (Cody Bradford) on the mound for the Rangers, Hedges will get the nod behind the dish. Hedges, who is hitting .152 over 105 at-bats this season, will likely continue to see limited usage down the stretch while Naylor is healthy.
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Guardians' Austin Hedges: Getting start for day game
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Hedges will start at catcher and bat ninth in Tuesday's game against the Tigers.
Hedges is part of the lineup for just the second time in eight games, with his inclusion being the result of top backstop Bo Naylor getting rest in a day game after a night game. The Guardians value Hedges' pitch-framing skills and ability to control the run game, but he's a well-below-average performer at the plate, even by the standards of backup catchers. He enters Tuesday's contest with a .157 average and four extra-base hits over 90 plate appearances on the season.
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Guardians' Austin Hedges: Registers second steal
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Hedges went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 10-3 loss to the Royals.
Hedges has hit safely in his last three games, going 3-for-8 in that span. The backup catcher has had a tough time seeing steady action with Bo Naylor and David Fry both ahead of him on the depth chart. Hedges is at a .154/.188/.246 slash line with one home run, two steals, nine RBI and six runs scored over 69 plate appearances. He should not be expected to produce much offense even on the rare occasions he's in the lineup.
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Guardians' Austin Hedges: Draws start Wednesday
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Hedges will start at catcher and bat ninth in Wednesday's game against the Reds.
With the lefty-hitting Bo Naylor hitting the bench with southpaw Nick Lodolo taking the hill for the Reds, Hedges will get a turn behind the plate. Hedges will be making his 19th start of the season and has provided most of his value on the defensive end, as he enters Wednesday's contest with an ugly .130/.158/.204 slash line.
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Guardians' Austin Hedges: Swats first homer
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Hedges went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run Saturday in a 7-1 victory versus the Angels.
Hedges put the Guardians on the board in the second inning, plating two runs with a blast to left field. The long ball was the veteran catcher's first of the season and just his fourth hit overall through 31 plate appearances. Both Hedges and fellow backstop Bo Naylor (who played DH on Saturday) have struggled mightily in the early part of the campaign, though each went deep Saturday as the duo combined to drive in six of Cleveland's seven runs.
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Guardians' Austin Hedges: Swipes bag in win
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Hedges went 1-for-4 with a stolen base in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Athletics.
Hedges has played in just seven of the Guardians' first 21 contests. He's shared backup duties at catcher with David Fry when Bo Naylor is not playing. Hedges is hitting .120 with three RBI, one runs scored, one double and a stolen base over 26 plate appearances, which includes 10 strikeouts and no walks. As a defensive catcher, it's no surprise Hedges is not adding much with the bat.
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Guardians' Austin Hedges: Sitting Friday vs. Oakland
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Hedges is not in the Guardians' lineup for Friday's contest against the Athletics.
Hedges drew the start at catcher for Opening Day, and he finished 1-for-4 with one run, one RBI and one strikeout. Lefty Bo Naylor will be behind home plate Friday and bat seventh with the Athletics starting right-hander Ross Stripling.
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Guardians' Austin Hedges: Back behind plate Wednesday
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Hedges (undisclosed) will start at catcher and bat seventh in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Cubs.
Hedges was scratched ahead of Monday's game against the Dodgers after colliding with a teammate prior to the contest, but the Guardians removed him from the lineup only as a precautionary matter. With the veteran backstop apparently feeling fine two days later, he'll step back in behind the plate. Hedges is expected to serve as the Guardians' No. 2 catcher this season, with most of his starts likely to come against left-handed pitching when the lefty-hitting Bo Naylor gets days off.
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Guardians' Austin Hedges: Scratched as precaution
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Hedges was scratched from the lineup for Monday's Cactus League game against the Dodgers after colliding with a teammate during a pregame workout, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
The team relays that Hedges was scratched out of "an abundance of caution," so expect him to be fine in a day or two. David Fry will shift to catcher and Deyvison De Los Santos has entered the lineup at designated hitter.
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Guardians' Austin Hedges: In positional battle
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Hedges has gone 2-for-8 with a home run, a double, two RBI and three strikeouts over four Cactus League games.
Hedges is not guaranteed to open the season as the Guardians' backup catcher despite his $4 million salary for 2024. David Fry, who can also play first base and corner outfield, could be in line for the backup catcher role -- or offer the Guardians the choice to carry three natural backstops. Among the team's catching crew, Hedges offers the least offensive upside, as he hasn't hit better than .184 in any of the past five seasons. Bo Naylor (back) is penciled in as the Guardians' starter behind the dish.
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Guardians' Austin Hedges: Rejoining Cleveland
Rotowire
Hedges agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract with the Guardians on Sunday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Hedges split last season between Pittsburgh and Texas but will make a 2024 return to Cleveland, where he made 199 appearances from 2020 to 2022. The veteran backstop brings little offensively with a .478 OPS over the past two years but provides strong defense. Hedges should fill the backup job at catcher behind youngster Bo Naylor for the Guardians.
The Pirates traded Hedges to the Rangers on Tuesday in exchange for international bonus pool money, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Hedges had limped to a .180/.237/.230 slash line across 186 plate appearances with the Pirates. He'll presumably fill in as a depth piece at catcher behind Mitch Garver until Jonah Heim (wrist) returns from the injured list.
Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton confirmed Monday that Hedges is in line to serve as the Pirates' No. 2 catcher moving forward after Endy Rodriguez was promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Though Rodriguez will ascend to the top of the depth chart following his call-up, Hedges won't be removed from the catching mix entirely. Shelton noted that he still expects Hedges to catch a couple of times per week, and the veteran is also likely to be deployed behind the dish on select occasions late in close games when defense is of greater importance. Hedges' skills as a pitch framer and game caller may be the only attributes keeping him on the Pittsburgh roster at this point; he's slashing a lowly .175/.226/.227 over 177 plate appearances on the season.
