Alex

Jackson

The 28-year-old former top prospect had just inked a minor league deal with the Reds back in early November, but he’ll join the Bombers to serve as extra catching depth with Jose Trevino being shipped to the Reds. Jackson was horrendous at the plate in 155 plate appearances with the Rays during the 2024 season, slashing a cringe-inducing .122/.201/.237 with three homers, 12 RBI and a 53/12 K/BB ratio.

In return, the Reds will be sending Fernando Cruz and Alex Jackson to the Yankees. Trevino is a highly skilled defender behind the plate and a former Platinum Glove winner. He had a rough year offensively in 2024, slashing just .215/.288/.354 with eight homers and 28 RBI in 234 plate appearances. He’ll share the load behind the plate with Tyler Stephenson for the Reds in 2025 but shouldn’t garner much interest from a fantasy perspective.

The former top prospect struggled during his time with the Rays during the 2024 campaign, slashing an anemic .122/.201/.237 with three long balls, 12 RBI and a 53/12 K/BB ratio over 155 plate appearances in his 58 games. He’ll get a chance to compete for the Reds’ backup catcher gig heading into the 2025 regular season.

Montgomery is the Rays’ 4th-ranked prospect but has struggled in 2024, pitching to a 6.26 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in 87 2/3 innings across 31 games (14 starts). However, that does come with a 105:36 K:BB ratio, and his stuff has played up since moving to the bullpen. In his last 10 relief appearances, he has not allowed a run while striking out 20 batters and walking five. He can run his fastball up to 97 mph with elite iVB, so he could be a factor in the Rays’ bullpen down the stretch. He will take Alex Jackson’s spot on the 40-man roster after the catcher was designated for assignment.

The Rays called up Logan Driscoll as one of their September call-ups, so they were able to move on from Jackson and still have two catchers on the active roster. Jackson is hitting .122/.201/.237 in 58 games for the Rays. He’ll hope to latch on as veteran catcher depth in another organization.

Alex Jackson will catcher while Rortvedt is away. Rob Brantly was added to the roster to serve as the backup.

Jackson became the most unlikely batter to homer off Orioles ace Corbin Burnes in recent memory as he connected for his first round-tripper of the year in the second inning of this one. It was his first long ball in the majors since August 13, 2021. The 28-year-old backstop is hitting .061 (3-for-49) with 25 strikeouts in 53 plate appearances this season. Simply put, he can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats until further notice.

Jackson hasn’t played in the majors since 2022 when he was with the Brewers. He’s spent the past two seasons at the Triple-A level and is having a solid season slashing .282/.344/.612 with seven homers and 18 RBI. He’ll act as the No. 2 catcher for Tampa Bay with Rene Pinto back in the minors.

The 28-year-old Jackson, a converted outfielder with a .141/.243/.227 line in 185 plate appearances as a major leaguer, has been penciled in as the Rays’ backup catcher. It’s possible the nod will instead go to Francisco Mejia if Jackson continues to struggle, but the Rays see something they like here.

Jackson, who was acquired from the Brewers in July, hit .284/.347/.556 in 59 games in Triple-A. It was the first season since 2018 in which he didn’t log any MLB time. He’s played in 66 major league games over four seasons, batting .141/.242/.227 with 89 strikeouts in 185 plate appearances. For the moment, he’s the No. 2 catcher on the Rays’ depth chart behind René Pinto. They’ll add at least one veteran, though.