The Cubs announced today that they have selected the contract of catcher . Hell take the roster spot of fellow backstop , who has been Hal Lanier Jersey placed on the 10-day injured list with a right knee sprain, retroactive to July 25. To open a 40-man roster spot, right-hander was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Bethancourt, 32, began the year with the Marlins but struggled significantly with that club. He hit .159/.198/.268 through 88 plate appearances and was released by the end of June. The Cubs had just two catchers on their 40-man roster in Nido and , so they brought Bethancourt over on a minor league deal. He hasnt done much to inspire hope that hes put his offensive woes behind him since then. In seven Triple-A games since signing that pact, he has a line of .192/.222/.192. Thats a tiny sample size but the combination of that with his work with the Marlins earlier this year is fairly bleak. The Cubs will seemingly be hoping for a bounceback. As recently as 2022, Bethancourt hit .252/.283/.409 in the majors for a wRC+ of 100. But he slipped to .225/.254/.381 and a wRC+ of 74 last year and, as mentioned, has been awful this season. Even if he doesnt hit, Bethancourt is fairly well regarded for his work in controlling the running game, though his framing metrics arent that strong. The move will at least come with a minimal cost, as the Marlins are on the hook for the majority of his $2.05MM salary, with the Cubs only having to cover the prorated version of the league minimum salary for any time spent on the roster. That will be subtracted from what the Fish pay. As for Brown, he landed on the 15-day injured list June 9. His ailment was initially listed as a neck strain though it was later to actually be a stre s reaction in his neck. Hes now ineligible to return until 60 days from that initial IL placement, which would be early August. He has yet to begin a rehab a signment and will presumably need at least a week or two to ramp up whenever hes cleared to do so. Taking that into consideration, this may not indicate any kind of setback in his recovery. Gary Matthews Jersey