Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Healthy, productive at Double-A
Rotowire
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.
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Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Sent to Double-A
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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.
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Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Ends season on shelf
Rotowire
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.
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Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Optioned to minor-league camp
Rotowire
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.
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Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Impresses again in 2022
Rotowire
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.
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Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Exits with injury
Rotowire
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.
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Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Struggling since return
Rotowire
Cartaya returned from a hand injury Thursday, but he's gone 0-for-8 with five strikeouts in two games for High-A Great Lakes since getting back into the lineup.
Cartaya received two pieces of good news Thursday -- he was selected to the 2022 Futures Game and was also back in the lineup for Great Lakes after leaving last Sunday's contest due to an apparent hand injury. The backstop struck out twice in his first game back and three times the following day, but there's no indication that the hand issue is to blame. Cartaya is still posting a strong .292/.414/.542 slash line along with five homers, nine doubles and 17 RBI over 25 games at the High-A level this season.
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Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Picks up hand injury
Rotowire
Cartaya was removed Sunday from High-A Great Lakes' game due to an apparent hand or wrist injury, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.
While serving as Great Lakes' catcher, Cartaya was removed in the middle of an opponent's at-bat, so his hand may have been struck by a foul ball or an errant pitch prior to his exit. Heading into Sunday, the Dodgers' top catching prospect was slashing .314/.438/.593 in 105 plate appearances for Great Lakes since his promotion from Single-A Rancho Cucamonga.
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Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Advances to High-A
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Cartaya was promoted to High-A Great Lakes on Tuesday, Great Lakes broadcaster Brad Tunney reports.
Cartaya is still a long way from the majors, but he's hit at every minor-league stop thus far in his career. In 33 games for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga this season, he homered nine times while slashing .260/.405/.550. A 27.0 percent strikeout rate is a minor worry and could potentially become a significant one if it continues to rise as he ascends the minor-league ladder, but his power has more than made up for his contact issues so far in his career.
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Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Homers off Snell in Single-A game
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Cartaya went 3-for-6 with a home run, a double, four RBI and two runs for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday.
Cartaya's two-run homer in the third inning had an extra level of significance as it came off rehabbing major-league hurler Blake Snell (groin). Cartaya almost went deep again in the 10th, but he had to settle for a two-run, ground-rule double. The backstop's bat has been on fire of late, as he has gone 9-for-14 with four homers, eight runs and 11 RBI over his past three games. Cartaya started the campaign slowly, but he's lifted his batting average almost 100 points with the three-game surge and is now slashing .265/.390/.588 with six homers and 18 RBI on the season.
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Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Healthy for 2022 season
Rotowire
Cartaya has resumed taking live batting practice and participating in drills at the Dodgers' minor-league spring training after missing the final two and a half months of the 2021 season due to back issues, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
The back injury coupled with the cancellation of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic has thus far limited Cartaya to 80 minor-league games since he signed with the Dodgers for $2.5 million in July 2018 as an 18-year-old out of Venezuela. Despite the relative lack of experience, the now-20-year-old is regarded as the organization's top catching prospect following last season's trade that sent Keibert Ruiz to the Nationals. Cartaya demonstrated an advanced two-way skill set during his injury-shortened stint at at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2021, posting a monstrous 1.023 OPS while showing strong receiving skills and a good arm behind the plate. He'll likely return to Low-A to begin the 2022 campaign, but if can show more durability and cut down on his strikeout rate, a promotion to High-A Great Lakes could come quickly.
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Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Expected to be out for season
Rotowire
Cartaya (undisclosed) was placed on the 7-day injured list at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga on Aug. 1.
Before hitting the temporary inactive list and then the 7-day IL, Cartaya went 10-for-28 (.357) with three homers, a double and a 5:6 BB:K over his last eight games for Low-A Rancho Cucamonga. That lifted his season line to a sharp .298/.409/.614 with 10 homers, 31 RBI and 31 runs in 31 games. However, RotoWire can report that, per the minor-league team, he's at the Dodgers' complex in Arizona rehabbing an undisclosed injury and is not expected to return to action this season. Assuming Cartaya recovers well from whatever's ailing him, he'll head into next season as one of the Dodgers' top prospects and one of the top catching prospects in all of baseball.
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Dodgers' Diego Cartaya: Making mark in minors
Rotowire
Cartaya is slashing .389/.439/.917 with five home runs and 13 RBI across 36 at-bats with Low-A Rancho Cucamonga.
The backstop prospect has had little trouble with Low-A pitching this season, collecting at least one hit in each of his nine contests. He belted two home runs Sunday to give him five on the season. At only 19 years of age, Cartaya has plenty of time to develop in the Dodgers' minor-league system, but he could be on the fast track to a promotion if he continues to dominate at his current level.
