CatchersHome Weekly — August 30 – September 5, 2026
September 6, 2026
Thank you for reading — this week gave us a record no player in major league history had ever held, a 20-year-old called up to the big leagues, and a rookie in Kansas City who kept catching until his bat caught up.
A bench player made history in one inning, the youngest player in baseball got the call in San Diego, and a catcher who hit .187 in July spent this week rewriting two record books.
⭐ Player Spotlight
Two Records in Two Weeks From a Rookie Who Hit .187 in July
Carter Jensen set the leadoff home run record no catcher had ever held, then tied Bo Jackson at 22. He never stopped catching.
🏆 Top 10 Stories of the Week
1. He Wasn’t in the Lineup. He Left With a Record No Player Had Ever Held.
Austin Wells came off the bench in the sixth, then homered twice in the eighth — the first player in major league history to do it without starting.
2. The Padres Called Up a 20-Year-Old Catcher. He’s Now the Youngest Player in the Majors.
Ethan Salas lost most of 2025 to a back injury. He hit .326 at Triple-A and got the call on September 1, the day that keeps him postseason-eligible.
3. He Hit .187 in July. He Is Now Tied With Bo Jackson.
Jensen’s 440-foot homer was his 22nd, second-most by any Royals rookie ever. He kept catching through the slump, which is why he was still in the lineup.
▶ Watch the report: Carter Jensen Home Runs Chase a Royals Record
4. A Gold Glove Arm Got Him Called Up. His First Big-League Hit Drove In Two.
Leo Bernal threw out 27 of 69 runners at Double-A and won a Minor League Gold Glove. St. Louis called him up, and he answered with the bases loaded.
5. He Came Back to Camden Yards and Told a Teammate How to Beat His Old Pitcher.
Rutschman homered twice in his first return to Baltimore. Then he checked Nick Sogard’s plan against four years of catching Yennier Cano, and scored on the homer.
6. An 11th-Round Pick Hit .180 Last Year. This Week He Hit Five Home Runs in Six Games.
Jason Schiavone made MLB Pipeline’s Prospect Team of the Week with 30 homers on the season — and throws out 47 percent of the runners who try him.
7. Twenty-Six Days Without a Home Run. Then Two in One Night.
Alvarez hit .125 over that stretch and caught every inning of it. His two homers against the Giants left him one multi-homer game from Johnny Bench, among catchers under 25.
8. He Leads All of High-A in One Thing, and It Isn’t Home Runs.
Blake Mitchell drew his 109th walk in the ninth, then stole third with two outs and stood 90 feet from tying the game.
🧤 Gear Corner
Wilson A2K vs A2000: Which Catcher’s Mitt Actually Wins Behind the Plate?
Same M23 pattern, same shape — the difference is leather grade and construction. One is game-ready sooner. The other is triple-sorted hide, handmade in Japan.
💬 We’d love to hear from you — email us at comments@catchershome.com.
😄 One More Thing
Knock knock.
Who’s there?
Ball four.
Ball four who?
Ball four you swing at it — that’s the whole idea.
Keep working. We’ll see you behind the plate next week.
— The CatchersHome Team