Christian Gabriel Bethancourt Ruiz (born September 2, 1991) is a Panamanian professional baseball catcher and outfielder for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball.
He has previously played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres, and in the KBO League for the NC Dinos. Bethancourt was signed as a non-drafted international free agent and began his minor league career at the age of 16 in 2008. He was named the seventh-most-promising catching prospect in baseball by MLB.com prior to the 2012 season.
Bethancourt played for the Mississippi Braves of the Class AA Southern League in 2012. He was named to the All-Star Futures Game. On August 9, 2012, Bethancourt broke his left hand when he was hit with a pitch. The Braves added him to their 40-man roster after the 2012 season.
On December 12, 2018, Bethancourt signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the NC Dinos of the KBO League. He was waived on July 3, 2019. On January 7, 2020, Bethancourt signed a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.
He became a free agent during the offseason, then re-signed with the Phillies on a minor league contract. Bethancourt joined the Phillies’ minor league camp during spring training. On March 28, 2021, the Phillies released him.
On May 1, 2021, Bethancourt signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. On December 3, 2021, Bethancourt signed a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics.
On April 15, 2022, Bethancourt was added to the Athletics roster for their road trip to Toronto as a COVID-related substitute. He played three innings at first base. It was the first time Bethancourt had appeared in a Major League Baseball game since the 2017 season.
There are no details about whether he has children or not. He may be may or may not have children. There are also no rumors about his children.