Pirates promote Panama’s Christian Bethancourt back to the major leagues

Christian Bethancourt has another chance in Major League Baseball after the Pittsburgh Pirates promoted the Panamanian player to their major-league roster on Tuesday.

The Pirates announced the move on social media alongside the promotion of left-handed pitcher Brandon Eisert from Triple-A. The club also transferred catcher and first baseman Endy Rodríguez from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day list.

Bethancourt joined Pittsburgh on Aug. 19 after the Yankees transferred him for cash considerations. He then played for the Indianapolis Indians, the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate. In 59 games, he recorded 54 hits, including 11 home runs, in 206 at-bats. He scored 28 runs and drove in 38, posting a .262 batting average, a .491 slugging percentage, a .320 on-base percentage and an .811 OPS.

The 33-year-old, born in Panama City on Sept. 2, 1991, bats and throws right-handed and has primarily played catcher. The Atlanta Braves signed him as an international free agent in 2008, when he was 16. He made his major-league debut with Atlanta on Sept. 29, 2013, as a pinch hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Bethancourt later played for the San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics, Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs. The Padres also used him as a pitcher in 2017, drawing on an ability he had shown earlier in his career. He left the major leagues after that season before returning to the Pirates’ organization.