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Pirates acquire veteran catcher Bethancourt
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.
Mets’ Polanco to have ankle surgery
NEW YORK (AP) -- Jorge Polanco’s challenging first season with the New York Mets likely ended Wednesday when he was placed on the 10-day injured list with left ankle bursitis.
Interim manager Andy Green said Polanco is slated to undergo surgery shortly.
“It’s gotten to the point where he just can’t get freedom from the pain,” Green said before the series finale against the San Diego Padres. “He has gone out there and grinded. He’s wanted to post for his team. And it’s at a point now where surgery is actually his best option and that’s the direction we’re headed with this to kind of alleviate this.”
Polanco signed a two-year, $40 million deal Dec. 13 with the expectation he’d help replace the departed Pete Alonso at first base -- even though Polanco’s big league experience at the position consisted of one pitch with the Seattle Mariners last season.
But Polanco, who had six stints on the injured list due to back and left knee ailments as well as strains to both hamstrings since 2018, was limited to just two starts at first base as he began dealing with bursitis in his left Achilles tendon in early April. He was eventually sidelined for almost three months and batted just .127 in 23 appearances since returning July 7.
Polanco is batting .148 with two homers, six RBIs and a .431 OPS in 145 plate appearances overall. Among players with at least 130 plate appearances this season, only Seattle Mariners utilityman Leo Rivas has a lower OPS (.424).
Green said Polanco is no longer bothered by the Achilles injury but that an MRI administered Tuesday showed no improvement in the left ankle.
Texans' Higgins out for season
(AP) -- Houston Texans receiver Jayden Higgins is expected to miss the season with a torn ACL, according to a person with knowledge of his injury
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the Texans haven’t announced the severity of his injury.
Higgins fell awkwardly while running a route during a joint practice with the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday in Houston. Coach DeMeco Ryans said at the time that Higgins was being evaluated for a leg injury.
The second-year receiver was expected to team up with No. 1 wideout Nico Collins in the Texans offense led by quarterback C.J. Stroud. A second-round pick in the 2025 draft, Higgins made 41 catches for 525 yards and six touchdowns in his rookie year.