Rays acquire Bethancourt from the Athletics
Needing depth at behind the plate, the Tampa Bay Rays acquired catcher and infielder Christian Bethancourt from the Oakland Athletics on Saturday for a pair of minor leaguers.
The A's received righthander Christian Fernandez and outfielder Cal Stevenson in the deal.
Bethancourt carried a .249 average with four home runs and 19 RBIs in 56 games with the A's after beginning the season with Triple-A Las Vegas. He was 5 for 19 (.263) in five games for the Aviators when he was added to the A's roster on April 15. The versatile Bethancourt has started games at first base, catcher and designated hitter.
Rays catcher Mike Zunino has been sidelined since June 10 with left shoulder inflammation.
The 30-year-old, righthanded hitting Bethancourt has started 24 games at first base, 12 at catcher and eight at designated hitter. This is his sixth season in the majors, his first since 2017, and he has career highs with 23 runs, 11 doubles and four stolen bases.
The Rays designated for assignment right-hander David McKay to make room on the 40-man roster for Bethancourt.
RED SOX'S DEVERS TO MISS NEXT TWO GAMES >> Boston Red Sox All-Star third baseman Rafael Devers will miss the next two games against the New York Yankees because of a sore back that forced him to make an early exit.
On Friday, Devers hurt his back crashing into a side rail going for a foul ball at Fenway
Park. He looked awkward taking a swing in his next at-bat before leaving the game. Devers leads the club in both batting average (.327) and homers (19) with 51 RBIs. He entered Saturday second in the majors with 106 hits.
RANGERS CATCHER GARVER OUT FOR SEASON >> Texas Rangers catcher Mitch Garver will have season-ending surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his throwing arm. Garver has been limited to being a designated hitter and unable to catch or throw since early
May because of the right forearm issue that was bothering him long before then. METS HONOR HERNANDEZ >> About an hour before addressing the packed house at Citi Field, a concentrated Keith Hernandez stared in deep study at his index cards in a mostly empty interview room — his big brother sitting just a step away. Always prepared. Always a pro. Always with Gary by his side.
A rock-steady leader for the New York Mets' last championship team, Hernandez received a rare honor when the club retired his
No. 17 jersey before a game against the Miami Marlins. Hall of Famers Tom Seaver (41) and Mike Piazza (31) and pitcher Jerry Koosman (36) are the only other Mets players to have their numbers retired by the team. Former managers Casey Stengel (37) and Gil Hodges (14) were also so honored.
Beloved by Mets fans for his work both on the field and in the booth, Hernandez spent seven of his 17 major league seasons with New York from 1983-89 and batted third for the 1986 World Series champions.