Three players placed on outright waivers by the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday have been claimed by other teams, and will be added to their 40-man rosters, with Cleveland Guardians claiming catcher Christian Bethancourt, while pitcher Jalen Beeks was taken by the Colorado Rockies and fellow left-hander Josh Fleming was grabbed by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Bethancourt, who took over as the primary catcher for the Rays this year, finished with a slash line of .225/.254/.381 with 11 home runs and 33 RBI in 104 games.
Beeks, who came to the Rays in 2018 in the deal that sent pitcher Nathan Eovaldi to Boston, appeared in 30 games this year, going 2-3 with a 5.95 ERA and a 1.488 WHIP, with 42 hits and 21 walks allowed in 42.1 innings.
Fleming, a fifth round pick of the Rays in 2017, finished 2023 2-0 with a 4.70 ERA after being limited to just 12 big-league outings due to a left elbow injury.
Three other players — pitcher Cole Sulser, outfielder Raimel Tapia, and infielder Tristan Gray — all passed through outright waivers unclaimed and elected to become minor-league free agents.