Pinto is not in the lineup Wednesday versus the Red Sox.
Pinto contributed a two-run homer to the Rays' 9-7 win at Boston on Tuesday, but he'll grab a breather during Wednesday's series finale as Christian Bethancourt starts behind the plate.
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Cranks sixth homer
Rotowire
Pinto went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Tuesday's 9-7 win over the Red Sox.
Pinto extended Tampa's lead to 7-0 in the third inning with a two-run, 424-foot blast off Tanner Houck. The 26-year-old Pinto has taken over as the Rays' primary option behind the plate -- he's gone 10-for-50 (.200) in his last 16 games, though five of his hits have been home runs. Overall, Pinto's batting .245 with a .717 OPS, six homers, 16 RBI and eight runs scored through 96 plate appearances this season.
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Gets breather Saturday
Rotowire
Pinto isn't in the Rays' lineup Saturday against the Blue Jays, Steve Carney of StPeteNine.com reports.
After going 0-for-7 with three strikeouts across his last two games, Pinto will take a seat Saturday as Christian Bethancourt starts behind the plate and bats eighth.
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Receives Wednesday off
Rotowire
Pinto is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels.
Pinto has operated as Tampa Bay's primary backstop over the past couple weeks and has an .846 OPS over 39 at-bats in September, but he'll head to the bench for Wednesday's contest. Christian Bethancourt will take over behind the plate and bat ninth.
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Out of lineup Sunday
Rotowire
Pinto is absent from the lineup Sunday at Baltimore.
Pinto started behind the plate Friday and Saturday and went a combined 1-for-7 with a strikeout and a run scored. Christian Bethancourt will handle the catching for the Rays in Sunday's series finale.
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Takes seat Thursday
Rotowire
Pinto is not in the lineup Thursday against the Orioles.
Pinto has posted an impressive .818 OPS with five home runs in 26 games (71 plate appearances) since being called up from Triple-A Durham in late July, but it'll be Christian Bethancourt handling the catching duties for the Rays on Thursday in Baltimore.
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Clubs another homer
Rotowire
Pinto went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's loss to the Twins.
Pinto snapped out of a brief 0-for-9 slump with his multi-hit effort. PInto's enjoyed a hot start to September, batting .286 with four home runs and eight total RBI across nine games.
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Crushes fourth homer
Rotowire
Pinto went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Friday's 7-4 win over Seattle.
Pinto's 108.7-mph home run in the seventh inning tied things up and chased George Kirby from the game. The backstop has seen increased playing time since Francisco Mejia was outrighted to Triple-A Durham on Aug. 28. Pinto has started six games and hit three home runs since then. He should continue to split time behind the plate with Christian Bethancourt.
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Showing surprising pop
Rotowire
Pinto went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run Tuesday against the Red Sox.
Pinto has split the catcher role evenly across the last two weeks with Christian Bethancourt, and he's made the case to maintain that playing time by hitting .357 with three homers and nine RBI across 12 games. After his home run Tuesday, he's also gone deep into back-to-back games and has four extra-base knocks in his last six contests. Pinto has the profile of a backup catcher after progressing slowly through the Rays' minor-league system, though he did post 125 and 116 wRC+ marks with Triple-A Durham in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Moves into timeshare at catcher
Rotowire
Pinto will start at catcher and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Guardians, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Pinto seems to have moved into a timeshare at catcher with Christian Bethancourt, as the two backstops have now alternated turns behind the plate over the past 12 games. Since his call-up from Triple-A Durham on July 21, Pinto is hitting .295 but hasn't offered much production in other categories (one home run, no stolen bases, five RBI and two runs over 46 plate appearances).
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Retreats to bench Wednesday
Rotowire
Pinto is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Pinto had started behind the dish in three of the Rays' last four games, going 3-for-11 with a home run and four RBI. Despite the uptick in playing time of late, Pinto is still expected to serve as the Rays' No. 2 catcher behind Christian Bethancourt, who is back behind the dish Wednesday. Pinto should still have a decent amount of job security on the major-league roster after the Rays designated Francisco Mejia (knee) for assignment Tuesday upon reinstating him from the 10-day injured list.
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Summoned to majors
Rotowire
Pinto was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
He's taking the roster spot vacated by Francisco Mejia, who has landed on the injured list with a sprained knee. Pinto just came back from an injury himself, having missed the last month with a bruised hand. He'll serve as Christian Bethancourt's backup.
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Nearing return
Rotowire
Pinto (undisclosed) began a rehab assignment Monday, Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Pinto has been sidelined since late May with an undisclosed injury, though he appears to be nearing a return. He may get a chance in the majors immediately, as Francisco Mejia (knee) exited Thursday's game against the Orioles and could be forced to miss time.
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Sent to Durham
Rotowire
The Rays optioned Pinto to Triple-A Durham on Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Christian Bethancourt and Francisco Mejia have both made it through spring camp unscathed, so Pinto will be stationed at Durham as the likely No. 3 catcher on Tampa Bay's organizational depth chart. The 26-year-old batted just slashed .213/.241/.325 over his first 83 major-league plate appearances in 2022.
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Not on wild-card roster
Rotowire
Pinto was left off the Rays' 26-man roster ahead of their AL Wild Card Series with the Guardians.
With Francisco Mejia returning from the paternity list Friday, Pinto was no longer needed to serve as the backup option behind Christian Bethancourt at catcher heading into the postseason. The 25-year-old Pinto produced a .213 average with two homers, 10 RBI and five runs scored over 25 games in the big leagues this season and appears unlikely to be considered for a roster spot moving forward barring any injuries.
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Serving as backup catcher
Rotowire
Pinto was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times
With Francisco Mejia getting placed on the paternity list, Pinto will serve as the Rays' backup catcher over the final two games of the season. Pinto is hitting .211 with two home runs in 79 plate appearances this season.
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Pinto was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Thursday.
The Rays had been carrying Pinto as a third catcher, but they'll drop down to two backstops for the time being. Pinto is hitting .211/.241/.316 with two home runs in 24 games.
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Rejoins big club
Rotowire
Pinto was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville ahead of Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader in Toronto, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.
Pinto was sent down in early August but will rejoin the major-league club Tuesday. He has a .548 OPS in 22 games this year and is unlikely to see much playing time with Francisco Mejia and Christian Bethancourt healthy.
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Sent to minors
Rotowire
Pinto was optioned to Triple-A Durham on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The 25-year-old was promoted in late July when Francisco Mejia (shoulder) landed on the 10-day IL, and Pinto will return to Triple-A after Mejia was reinstated Friday. Pinto has appeared in 22 games for Tampa Bay this year and has a .206/.239/.309 slash line and 43.7 percent strikeout rate in 71 plate appearances.
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Rays' Rene Pinto: Not in Thursday's lineup
Rotowire
Pinto isn't starting Thursday against the Tigers, Neil Solondz of the Rays Radio Network reports.
Pinto went 1-for-3 with a strikeout Wednesday against the Blue Jays and will take a seat for the second time in the last three games. Christian Bethancourt will take over behind the plate and bat ninth.
