Letting Gattis DH now has its risks

There’s a risk in making Evan Gattis the primary backup catcher, but it was a move Astros manager A.J. Hinch said is worthwhile.

Gattis didn’t catch last season, playing 99 games as a designated hitter after catching 135 games in two years with the Braves. But the 29-year-old was optioned this month to Class AA Corpus Christi to get playing time behind the plate.

He returned Tuesday and was inserted into the DH spot, from which he beat the White Sox with a decisive two-run homer in the 11th inning. Hinch said Gattis will catch on Thursday.

“It was fun. Caught the first game down there, so got the jitters out and stuff like that,” Gattis said. “There’s only so much you can do catching off a machine and catching bullpens, but whenever a hitter gets in there and there’s a real game going on, it’s a little different.”

Gattis caught four games, including on consecutive days, and was the DH for three others. He hit .360 with three home runs and six RBIs.

“I still feel a little rough, but it’s going to be a learning process, just like hitting and everything else,” he said. “There are going to be adjustments, and that never ends.”

Hinch said the move gives him lineup options. There’s an extra infielder, with Colin Moran following outfielder Tony Kemp in being called up from Class AAA Fresno.

But there are also limits. If Gattis and Jason Castro are in the lineup, replacing one for a pinch runner or pinch hitter takes away a catcher late in a game. Erik Kratz, who had served as Castro’s backup, was designated for assignment Monday.

“It’s a risk that I’ll have to think about virtually every game,” Hinch said. “And neither Castro or Gattis are great runners. I could see Kemp pinch-running for them, and you’re down to one catcher.

“Other than that, which is the back end of games and maybe some extra innings, it’s a risk we felt was worth the roster construction being this way.”