Pirates Release Veteran They Just Traded For Ahead of Angels Series

The Pittsburgh Pirates have made some roster moves ahead of their three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels.

Pittsburgh activated shortstop Konnor Griffin from the 60-day injured list, adding some firepower to the roster for the playoff run. But in a corresponding move, the Pirates designated veteran catcher Christian Bethancourt for assignment. 

Insider Alex Stumpf reported the news on social media.

The Pirates had just acquired Bethancourt from the New York Yankees for cash on Aug. 19, adding to the depth of the team. Pittsburgh selected his contract from Triple-A this week, but he never saw a plate appearance with the organization

In fact, Bethancourt hasn't appeared in a major league game since the 2024 season. The eight-year veteran will now look for his next opportunity in the big leagues, if it comes.

Bethancourt last played with the Chicago Cubs, seeing 24 games of action in 2024. During this time, he hit .281 with three home runs and 15 RBIs, while posting an OPS of .814.

During that 2024 season, Bethancourt split time between the Cubs and the Miami Marlins. With Miami, the veteran catcher hit .159 with two home runs and seven RBIs, while putting up an OPS of .466.

Over his MLB career, Bethancourt has never made an All-Star team and has been used as more of a depth piece on rosters. The most amount of games he has played in a year came in 2023, while with the Tampa Bay Rays.

With Tampa Bay, he hit .225 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs, posting an OPS of .635.

Bethancourt first came into the league back in 2013 with the Atlanta Braves, playing three seasons with the team. He then latched on with the San Diego Padres, spending two seasons with them.

Then he was out of baseball for multiple years, spending time in different minor-league systems. Bethancourt finally made it back to the majors in 2022 with the Oakland Athletics before he was traded to the Rays at the deadline.

His career as a whole has been very up-and-down, with the veteran not able to put together much consistency. Bethancourt is 35 years old, and it remains to be seen if he will be given another chance at the big-league level.

Overall, Bethancourt has played in 428 games in his career, seeing 1,241 at-bats. He owns a .229 average, with 35 home runs and 135 RBIs.