Former Rays catcher has difficult offseason, gets DFA’d by Orioles and Diamondbacks

In 2013, the Rays signed Venezuelan backstop Rene Pinto at the young age of 16. The determined catcher grinded through the minor league system, as he improved both offensively and defensively each season. He finally reached the big leagues with the Rays in 2022, but could never stick at the highest level. Now, in only one offseason, he's been sent packing for two different organizations.

It took the youngster five seasons to reach Double-A Montgomery where he started to flourish as an offensive catcher. After losing a full season in the Covid year, Pinto took another step forward, especially in the power department. The front office had to have been excited about the progress as it portrayed his personal determination and work ethic to improve after a year without scheduled games.

In 2021, Rene Pinto slashed .274/.325/.500 with 20 home runs and 60 RBIs between Double-A and Triple-A. He was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel as he neared his major league debut.

The day finally arrived the next season, but he could never put everything together like he had in the minor leagues. There were a few bright spots though, as the catcher hit two home runs and drove in 10 runs in his 25 games played. The disappointing performance led him to move up and down between Triple-A and the big leagues for the next few years. In 2024, the Rays gave him a path to manage the majority of the catching load, but after only 49 games, he was demoted once again.

Tampa Bay made the difficult decision of trading Pinto after watching him grow up through their organization since he was a teenager. The rival Orioles signed Pinto this offseason to potentially serve as their backup catcher behind star slugger Adley Rutschman. However, they also acquired former Yankees All-Star Gary Sanchez and clearly favored his track record.

Therefore, the Orioles DFA'd Rene Pinto and he was picked up by the Arizona Diamondbacks after only a week's time. The hard-working backstop played out Spring Training in Arizona with the D-Backs, as he hoped to join their stacked roster.

Although, they chose to let Pinto go yesterday, as their roster includes starting catcher Gabriel Moreno and fellow Venezuelan catcher Jose Herrera. We wish Pinto the best as he continues his search for a job in 2025.