With their major league catchers ailing, the Braves made a surprise move yesterday, calling up catching prospect Christian Bethancourt for the second game of their Saturday double header against the Phillies.
Mar 11, 2014; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Christian Bethancourt (58) bats in the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies during a spring training exhibition game at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
The 21 year old catcher started the nightcap and went 1 for 4, collecting his first major league hit with a single in the sixth.
The promotion was more of a necessary desperation move than anything else for Atlanta. Starting catcher Evan Gattis had left Friday’s game with a back injury and backup Gerald Lair already caught a full nine innings on Friday and in the day game of the double-header. At age 34, catching three full games in a span of 24 hours would have been near impossible for Laird, and the Braves were forced to call on Bethancourt, their third string catcher.
Known primarily for his defense, Bethancourt has been on scouts’ radar for a while, taking a spot on Baseball America’s Braves top ten prospect list for three consecutive seasons. After a strong offensive showing last season, BA ranked him as the Braves second best prospect and named him the 69th best in all of baseball. He also earned a September call-up, but appeared in only one game and struck out in his only at bat.
This year has not been as kind to the young Panamanian, though. Playing with Triple-A Gwinnet. He’s been getting on base at roughly the same rate as last season (.304 OBP), but his power has dropped off considerably (.436 slugging percentage last campaign, .372 slugging percentage this one).
The X-Rays on Gattis’ back came up negative and he is listed as day to day, so this will probably not be a long stay for Bethancourt. That being said, Atlanta’s slugging backstop is still scheduled for an MRI and his health is not guaranteed.
““We’re still not out of the woods with Gattis,” Gonzalez told MLB.com’s Erik Bacharach after the game Saturday Night. “We’re buying some time. Hopefully this thing gets cleared up in the next couple of days or starts feeling better.”
In the unlikely event Atlanta loses Gattis for any extended period of time, Bethancourt could be here a while.