Marlins designate Bethancourt for assignment
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MIAMI -- The Marlins designated catcher Christian Bethancourt for assignment on Friday, recalling backstop Ali S¨˘nchez from Triple-A Jacksonville.
Over the offseason, catcher and shortstop were positions Miami hoped to upgrade. When the Marlins acquired Bethancourt in a trade with Cleveland for cash on Dec. 10, it was to replace Jacob Stallings, who had been non-tendered after two seasons with the club. President of baseball operations Peter Bendix and Bethancourt overlapped in Tampa Bay from 2022-23.
After no other major moves were made on that front, the organization hoped one of Bethancourt or Nick Fortes would command the role during Spring Training.
But the 32-year-old Bethancourt couldn't get going with his new club, opening the season hitless in his first 29 at-bats. He compiled a .159/.198/.268 slash line with five extra-base hits and a 29 OPS+ in 38 games.
Behind the dish, Bethancourt ranked in the 14th percentile in framing (-2), 34th percentile in blocks above average (-1) and 80th percentile in caught stealing above average (2). Fortes had been garnering the majority of the catching duties -- 10 of 14 games this month -- in large part as the de facto personal backstop for left-handers Jes¨˛s Luzardo and Braxton Garrett.
"Christian is a really good dude," manager Skip Schumaker said. "He was a good fit here as far as talking to the guys. In those pitchers' meetings, he was fantastic. It just sometimes doesn't work out in different organizations. It wasn't lack of effort. He's been trying. He was doing everything he could to figure out the offensive stuff. He was doing better on the catching side as well. We all know that he had an unbelievable arm. But as far as a person, man, that's the kind of guy you want around all the time. He's a fantastic teammate. It's just too bad it didn't work out here."
The Marlins acquired S¨˘nchez in a trade with the Cubs for cash on Wednesday. He played in seven big league games from 2020-21 with the Mets and Cardinals, collecting three hits in 13 at-bats. S¨˘nchez has spent the past three seasons bouncing around at the Triple-A affiliates for the Cardinals, Tigers, D-backs and Cubs.
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The 27-year-old S¨˘nchez hit 10 doubles and three homers with a .725 OPS in 41 games at Triple-A Iowa this season after collecting 10 doubles and 11 homers with an .866 OPS in 67 games for Triple-A Reno last season.
"We'll see at the big league level," Schumaker said. "Big league level is different. He has some big league time. I knew him a little bit in St. Louis. There's guys that knew him around the league that have either coached with him or against him that have really good reviews. He's smart, very capable of catching up here, and our guys like the offensive profile. So we're excited to see what he can do."
Fortes got the start on Friday to catch left-hander Trevor Rogers in the series opener against the Mariners at loanDepot park. S¨˘nchez replacing Bethancourt is unlikely to change the playing time.
"He's going to be a lot of like we used Beth," Schumaker said. "He'll catch a couple of times a week and make his own opportunity, whatever he does with that opportunity. Nick's going to probably get the same amount of or more [of the reps]. Not sure. Just depends on what it all looks like."