Alex

Jackson

The 29-year-old backstop got the Orioles on the board with an RBI double off of Brandon Waddell in the second inning. He then rode home on Jordan Westburg’s two-run blast. Jackson also started a rally with a leadoff double off of Justin Hagenman in the sixth inning and scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Westburg. It was an impressive showing from the veteran backstop in his first game with the Orioles this season.

Baltimore has opted to bring up newly-acquired journeyman backstop Alex Jackson from Triple-A Norfolk ahead of Sunday’s series finale against Atlanta while Gary Sánchez hitting the injured list with a right knee sprain. It’ll be Jacob Stallings handling the catching duties for now as the injuries continue to pile up at the position. The Orioles have even brought up David Bañuelos on the taxi squad as extra insurance. The 20-year-old top prospect holds a .920 OPS with 16 homers through 57 games this season at the Triple-A level. He’s one of the few prospects left in the minors that could make some serious noise for fantasy purposes in the second half.

Well, that was fast. Jackson gets the call to join Baltimore’s catching mix just a few hours after being acquired from the Yankees in a small trade with Gary Sánchez hitting the injured list with a right knee sprain. The 29-year-old backstop has appeared in 124 games in the big leagues, mostly in a reserve role, since 2019.

You have to applaud Baltimore for their ongoing commitment to keeping top prospect Samuel Basallo in the minors. Jackson provides the Orioles with some extra catching depth at Triple-A Norfolk with David Bañuelos heading up to join the club’s taxi squad following an injury to Gary Sánchez.

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.