Nick Fortes -- General News

The Tampa Bay Rays are keeping Nick Fortes and Hunter Feduccia as their catching tandem for 2026 after acquiring both mid-season in 2024. Fortes came from Miami and Feduccia from Los Angeles, each having spent six years with their original organizations before the trades. Manager Kevin Cash plans to split playing time nearly equally between them.

The Rays have struggled to find stability at catcher since Mike Zunino's successful 2021 season, cycling through multiple acquisitions including Francisco Mejía, Christian Bethancourt, René Pinto, and others. Fortes and Feduccia represent an attempt at consistency, having learned Tampa Bay's system mid-season in 2024 before now having a full offseason to integrate.

Both catchers emphasized that their first priority this spring has been developing personal relationships with the pitching staff beyond reviewing analytics and scouting information. Feduccia noted that while tactical adjustments come quickly, understanding what makes individual pitchers excel requires time and experience. Fortes stated his goal was building friendships with pitchers, which he believes will improve their ability to navigate games together effectively.

Nick Fortes is being benched for Saturday's game between the Tampa Bay Rays and San Francisco Giants. The decision comes after Fortes went hitless in Friday's series opener, posting an 0-for-3 line with a strikeout. Hunter Feduccia will assume catching responsibilities for the contest and is slated to bat eighth in the lineup. This appears to be a routine rest day following subpar performance rather than an injury-related absence.

Nick Fortes, a 28-year-old catcher, has been acquired and retained by the Tampa Bay Rays through multiple transactions. The Rays signed Fortes to a one-year, $2.535 million contract to avoid arbitration, positioning him as their primary starter in 2026. Fortes was originally acquired from the Marlins at the trade deadline for outfielder Matthew Etzel, replacing Danny Jansen who was traded to Milwaukee. During spring training, Fortes demonstrated strong performance with a .304/.360/.565 batting line across 11 homers, significantly outpacing backup catcher Hunter Feduccia's .087/.222/.261 average. Defensively, Fortes ranks tied for 13th in Major League Baseball in Catcher Framing Runs Saved with 2, a notable improvement over Jansen's minus-8 mark. The 58% pull rate and 87.3 mph average exit velocity align with Tampa Bay's preference for players with lifting tendencies. Last season across both organizations, Fortes posted a .229/.296/.349 slash line in 242 plate appearances.

During a May 10, 2026 matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox, Rays catcher Nick Fortes executed a successful throw to record an out on Caleb Durbin, who was attempting to steal second base. The play marked the first out of the inning and demonstrated Fortes' defensive capability in throwing out a baserunner attempting to advance.