| Víctor Caratini | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Caratini with theChicago Cubs in 2018 | |
| Free agent | |
| Catcher /First baseman | |
| Born: (1993-08-17)August 17, 1993 (age 32) Coamo, Puerto Rico | |
Bats: Switch Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 28, 2017, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |
| Batting average | .244 |
| Home runs | 58 |
| Runs batted in | 247 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Víctor Manuel Caratini (born August 17, 1993) is a Puerto Rican professionalbaseballcatcher andfirst baseman who is a free agent. He has played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theChicago Cubs,San Diego Padres,Milwaukee Brewers, andHouston Astros. Listed at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) and 215 pounds (98 kg), he throws right-handed and is aswitch hitter.
Caratini has caught twono-hitters in the major leagues, the first as a member of the Cubs, and second as a member of the Padres. As they occurred in succession, he became the first player to catch consecutive no-hitters occurring for different clubs. The no-hitter caught for the Padres, on April 9, 2021, was the first in franchise history.
Caratini was drafted by theAtlanta Braves in the second round of the2013 Major League Baseball draft out ofMiami Dade College.[1] He made his professional debut that season with theDanville Braves. After primarily playing third base his first season, Caratini played mostly as a catcher in 2014. He started the season with theRome Braves.
On July 31, 2014, the Braves traded Caratini to theChicago Cubs forEmilio Bonifacio andJames Russell.[2][3][4] The Cubs sent him to theKane County Cougars, where he finished the season.[5][6] Caratini spent the 2015 season with theMyrtle Beach Pelicans where he batted .257, with four home runs and 53 runs batted in. He spent the 2016 season with theTennessee Smokies, where he batted .291 with six home runs and 47 runs batted in.[7] After the 2016 season, Caratini played for theMesa Solar Sox of theArizona Fall League and was added to the Cubs 40-man roster.[8]
Caratini began the 2017 season with theIowa Cubs of theClass AAAPacific Coast League. The Cubs promoted Caratini to the major leagues on June 28, 2017.[9] He appeared in 31 games with the2017 Cubs, batting .254 with one home run and two runs batted in. In 2018, Caratini played in 76 MLB games, batting .232 with two home runs and 21 runs batted in. He made two pitching appearances during the season, both in late July, pitching a total of two innings while allowing two runs for a 9.00earned run average.[10] He also played in the2018 National League Wild Card Game, grounding out as apinch hitter, as the Cubs fell to theColorado Rockies, 2–1 in 13 innings.[11]
Caratini began the2019 season as one of the Cubs' two catchers, along withWillson Contreras. Caratini made another pitching appearance on June 22, pitching a scoreless ninth inning in a Cubs loss to theNew York Mets.[12] On the year, Caratini slashed .266/.348/.447 with career-highs in home runs (11) and runs batted in (34) in 95 games for the Cubs.[13]
On September 13,2020, Caratini caught ano-hitter against theMilwaukee Brewers for teammateAlec Mills.[14] In thepandemic-shortened 2020 season, Caratini batted .241/.333/.328 in 44 games for Chicago, with one home run and 16 runs batted in over 132 plate appearances.[15]
On December 29, 2020, Caratini andYu Darvish were traded to theSan Diego Padres in exchange for pitcherZach Davies,Reginald Preciado, Yeison Santana, Ismael Mena, andOwen Caissie.[16]
On April 9, 2021, Caratini caught a no-hitter against theTexas Rangers for starterJoe Musgrove, the first no-hitter in Padres history and the second no-hitter he had caught in eight months. As the previous no-hitter in MLB was the one he had caught with the Cubs, this made Caratini the first catcher in MLB history to catch consecutive no-hitters for two different teams.[17] On June 17, 2021, Caratini hit his first careerwalk-off home run againstpitcherAmir Garrett and theCincinnati Reds. In 2021, Caratini played in a career-high 116 games and batted .227/.309/.323 with 7 home runs and 39 RBIs.[18]
On March 22,2022, Caratini signed a $2 million contract with the Padres, avoiding salary arbitration.[19]
On April 6, 2022, Caratini was traded to theMilwaukee Brewers in exchange forBrett Sullivan andKorry Howell.[20] On July 4, 2022, Caratini hit his second career walk-off home run againstScott Effross and his former team, theChicago Cubs. He became the fifth player in major league history tostrike out four times before hitting a walk-off home run.[21] In 95 games with Milwaukee in 2022, he batted .199/.300/.342 with 9 home runs and 34 RBIs.[18]
On January 12,2023, Caratini agreed to a one-year, $2.8 million contract with the Brewers, avoiding salary arbitration.[22] He became afree agent following the season.
On December 6, 2023, Caratini signed a 2 year, $12 million contract with theHouston Astros.[23]
On April 30, 2024, Caratini hit a pinch-hit, walk-off, 2-run home run with 2 outs in the bottom of the 10th inning to make the final score 10–9 versus theCleveland Guardians.[24] On May 14, Caratini delivered a pinch-hit, walk-off 10th-inning single to secure a 2–1 win over theOakland Athletics.[25] Caratini hit his first major leaguetriple on June 15 offJack Flaherty in 12–5 loss to theDetroit Tigers atMinute Maid Park.[26] On June 21, 2024, the Astros placed Caratini on the 10-day IL as a result of a left hip flexor strain,[27] and activated him on July 22.[28] He caught rookieSpencer Arrighetti's no-hit bid on August 28, 2024, versus thePhiladelphia Phillies, that lasted7+2⁄3 innings.[29][30]
For the 2024 season, Caratini batted .269/.336/.408 with 8 home runs, 30 RBI, and 30 runs scored in 269plate appearances. He played in 87 total games, with 58 appearances as catcher, 11 as first baseman, 3 as designated hitter, and 20 as pinch hitter.[18] As a pinch hitter, he hit 8-for-19 (.421 average) with 1 home run and 5 RBI.[31]
Caratini delivered a go-ahead, two-run single in the seventh inning on May 28,2025, for a 5–3 Astros lead and final score over theAthletics.[32] Over a four-day span on July 1st and 4th, Caratini smashed his third and fourth careergrand slams, first atCoors Field and then atDodger Stadium, respectively.[33] In 2025, he appeared in 114 games, including 49 catcher, 15 at first base, 30 as the designated hitter, and 25 as pinch hitter. Caratini established career highs each with 386 plate appearances, 89 hits, 14 doubles, 12 home runs, and 46 RBI. He delivered a .259/.304/.424/.728 slash line.[18]
