The Pirates announced that catcher Christian Bethancourt has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis.  Bethancourt has the ability to decline this assignment in favor of free agency, but there isn’t yet any word on the backstop’s decision.

Bethancourt has hit .229/.259/.362 over 1301 plate appearances and 427 Major League games over parts of eight MLB seasons from 2013-24.  His lengthy career includes a four-year gap (2018-21) in between big league games due to the pandemic, a brief run in the KBO League, and several minor league stints without any call-ups.  Bethancourt’s most recent stay in the majors saw him play in 62 games for the Marlins and Cubs in 2024, and he has since toiled in the minors with the Blue Jays, Cubs, Yankees, and Pirates without another look in the Show.

After signing a minor league deal with the Cubs last winter, Bethancourt moved on to another minors contract with the Yankees in July.  Because he hadn’t spent any time on a 40-man roster this year, Bethancourt was eligible to be traded after the August 3 trade deadline, so New York sent him to Pittsburgh on August 19 when the Buccos were looking to add catching depth in the wake of Endy Rodriguez’s hip injury.  He technically made it back to the majors when the Pirates selected his contract when rosters expanded on September 1, but Bethancourt was designated for assignment earlier this week without getting into a game.

Bethancourt (who just turned 35 earlier this week) has been a member of 12 different MLB organizations during his long career, so he has no shortage of past connections to explore if he does opt for free agency.  The minor league regular season ends on September 20, which limits the catcher’s options for finding another minors deal.  It is possible Bethancourt might just opt to play out the year with Triple-A Indianapolis, and wait until the offseason for his latest foray into the open market.