Pirates acquire veteran catcher Christian Bethancourt from Yankees in exchange for cash

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired veteran catcher Christian Bethancourt from the New York Yankees on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations.

The 34-year-old Bethancourt had been playing for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, New York's Triple-A affiliate.

Pittsburgh assigned Bethancourt to Triple-A Indianapolis, but he is expected to join the Pirates' taxi squad when the club begins a nine-game road trip in Los Angeles against the Dodgers on Friday.

Bethancourt has appeared in 427 major league games across eight seasons, hitting .229 with 35 home runs and 135 RBIs for Atlanta, San Diego, Oakland, Tampa Bay, Miami and the Chicago Cubs.

Pittsburgh is looking for depth at catcher while Endy Rodriguez deals with left hip inflammation.

Bethancourt, who spent time in the Pirates farm system in 2021, hit .270 with 14 home runs, 45 RBIs and nine doubles in 67 games in the minors for the Cubs and Yankees.

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