Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Healthy, productive at Double-A
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Cartaya (back) went 3-for-7 with a double, two walks, two runs and two RBI while starting in both of Double-A Tulsa's first two games of the season.
Cartaya attended spring training with the big club, but he didn't appear in any Cactus League games while he contended with a back injury early in camp before he was optioned to the minors March 3. The young backstop's ability to play in both of Tulsa's first two games suggests the back issue is behind him at this point. Of the four catchers on the Dodgers' 40-man roster, Cartaya sits fourth on the organizational depth chart behind Will Smith, Austin Barnes and Hunter Feduccia, with the latter having opened the season as Triple-A Oklahoma City's top backstop.
Cartaya (back) was optioned to Double-A Tulsa on Sunday.
Cartaya didn't appear in any contests in the Cactus League due to a back injury, and he'll now shift his focus to being ready for the MiLB season. The catcher had a disappointing 2023 campaign, recording a .189/.278/.377 slash line with 19 homers over 355 at-bats in 93 games with Tulsa, and he'll likely have to play better to earn an opportunity to be called up to the major-league roster down the road.
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Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Dealing with back soreness
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Cartaya has not participated in spring training games due to back soreness, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that the team expects Cartaya to be ready for the start of the MiLB season. The prospect catcher is coming off a disappointing 2023 season with Double-A Tulsa in which he slashed .189/.278/.377 with 19 home runs and 57 RBI over 403 plate appearances.
Cartaya has been on the 7-day injured list with Double-A Tulsa since Aug. 30.
There were also rumors on X that Cartaya was placed on the development list, but nonetheless, his final game of the season was Aug. 27. Cartaya hit .189 with 19 home runs and 117 strikeouts in 93 games for the Drillers in a very disappointing first season at the level. He is already on the 40-man roster and seemingly far from helping the big-league club, so the Dodgers' long-term belief in Cartaya could be tested this offseason.
Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Cutting strikeouts at Double-A
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Cartaya is hitting .228/.288/.433 with eight home runs and a 20.9 percent strikeout rate in his last 32 games for Double-A Tulsa.
He is the third-youngest qualified catcher at Double-A, (older than Edgar Quero and Jeferson Quero), and his .238 BABIP on the season is easily the lowest mark of his career, so there's needed context when evaluating his surface stats. Cartaya doesn't project to hit for a high average in the majors, but he could still be a catcher-eligible player who plays enough to hit 20-plus homers per season.
Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Optioned to minor-league camp
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Cartaya was optioned Monday to minor-league camp by the Dodgers.
Cartaya is one of the top prospects in the Los Angeles system and was protected from the Rule 5 draft by being added to the 40-man roster in November. The 21-year-old is likely at least a season away from the majors and should begin the season with Double-A Tulsa.
Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Protected from Rule 5 draft
Rotowire
Cartaya was added to the Dodgers' 40-man roster Tuesday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.
Cartaya is one of the top catching prospects in baseball, so it's no surprise Los Angeles opted to shield him from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. The 21-year-old spent most of 2022 at High-A Great Lakes and posted a .251/.379/.476 slash line with 13 home runs and 41 RBI in 62 games.
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Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Impresses again in 2022
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Cartaya posted a composite .254/.389/.503 slash line with 22 homers, 72 RBI and 74 runs across 95 games split between Single-A and High-A this season.
While those overall numbers definitely got a boost from his time in the hitter-friendly California League, Cartaya's .856 OPS in High-A at age 20 is still impressive. He's striking out too often -- 119 times in 445 plate appearances, a 26.7 percent clip -- but Cartaya also draws plenty of walks and offers rare power at the catcher position. Among prospect backstops, perhaps only Francisco Alvarez offers more upside.
Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Healthy again after brief absence
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Cartaya (undislcosed) has started in each of High-A Great Lakes' last three games, going 2-for-12 with three walks and two runs.
Cartaya was removed from Great Lakes' July 31 game due to an unspecified injury, but he missed only a few days before checking back into the lineup Friday. After serving as a designated hitter in his first two starts since the injury, Cartaya was back behind the plate for Sunday's 11-8 loss to Lake County, which implies he's back to full health.
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Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Exits with injury
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Cartaya was removed from Sunday's game with High-A Great Lakes due to an apparent injury, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.
Cartaya suffered the injury while attempting to block a pitch while catching, and he left the field with an athletic trainer. The 20-year-old is one of the Dodgers' top prospects and has a .279/.407/.529 slash line in 36 games since being promoted to High-A at the start of June.
