Bethancourt (thumb) remains out of the lineup Wednesday against the Nationals.

Bethancourt continues to sit out after jamming his thumb a week ago Sunday. The team will continue to take precautions with him, but it's still possible the young backstop will start again this season if healthy.

Bethancourt (thumb) is not in the lineup Tuesday against Washington.

Bethancourt jammed his thumb more than a week ago, and he's yet to return to action. A.J. Pierzynski will make another start at catcher Tuesday, and he'll bat cleanup.

Bethancourt (thumb) is not in the lineup Saturday.

The 24-year-old backstop has been suffering from a jammed thumb which has kept him out of the starting lineup for five consecutive games. However, with the recent injury to AJ Pierzynski (shoulder) Bethancourt could get the start Sunday with righty Tom Koehler set to take the mound.

Bethancourt (thumb) remains out of the lineup Friday against the Marlins, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

A jammed left thumb, suffered last weekend, will keep Bethancourt out of the lineup for a fourth straight game. Bethancourt had two three-hit games in the span of four starts earlier this month, after turning in just five multi-hit efforts in the first five months of the season.

Bethancourt (thumb) is not in the starting lineup Thursday.

Prior to the injury, Bethancourt was playing about every other game, so the fact that he's not in the lineup isn't surprising. Until he is fully healthy, A.J. Pierzynski will continue to get the majority of the starts behind the plate.

Bethancourt jammed his left thumb in Sunday's game and will now likely miss a few days while recovering, David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The initial X-rays came back negative so rest seems to be the only remedy needed for a full recovery, although he's been spotted donning a brace on his left hand. Normal starter A.J. Pierzynski will remain behind the plate for the time being with Ryan Lavarnway waiting in the wings if needed.

Bethancourt went 3-for-5 with his second homer and two runs scored Wednesday against the Phillies.

He hadn't collected a hit in any of his last six appearances, as Bethancourt has been one of the worst hitters in the game this year, with an OPS of just .497 to his credit even after this nice day.

Bethancourt was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday.

Bethancourt will provide the Braves with another bat off the bench, as the 23-year-old has posted a .327/.359/.480 batting line with four home runs and 31 RBI in 52 games. He'll provide the Braves with a third catching option, but it's unclear how much he'll play down the stretch. Given the Braves' position in the standings, it wouldn't be surprising if they give their young backstop a fair number of opportunities.

Bethancourt will be optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The Braves haven't announced a corresponding move, but they'll likely replace Bethancourt with another backup catcher, after watching him struggle at the plate this season. Bethancourt owns a .208/.231/.297 batting line, with one home run, nine RBI, 12 runs, a stolen base and an 18:3 K:BB ratio in 101 at-bats.

Bethancourt is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Dodgers.

Major league pitching continues to baffle Bethancourt -- he's batting .181/.213/.264 with three walks in 75 plate appearances this season. His defense alone is not enough to warrant regular playing time at this point, but he should continue to start against most left-handers.

Bethancourt went 2-for-4 Saturday with a double, a run scored and two RBI.

AJ Pierzynski's hot streak has relegated Bethancourt to a bench role, but his own .188/.220/.271 slash line isn't giving Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez much reason to reconsider the workload division behind the plate.

Bethancourt is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Phillies.

The 23-year-old Bethancourt has been a total afterthought of late, seeing a mere three starts in the past two weeks. Whereas Bethancourt is just 7-for-40 with three extra-base hits (all doubles) and two walks this season, A.J. Pierzynski is 20-for-57 (.351 average) with three home runs and 14 RBI to this point. It appears the Braves are content to let Bethancourt sit on the bench and learn from the veteran for now.

Bethancourt is out of the lineup Friday against the Phillies.

A.J. Pierzynski will handle catching duties for a third straight game and for the fifth time in the team's last seven games. It would seem the 38-year-old Pierzynski, who is 11-for-27 with three homers so far this season, has usurped Bethancourt as the primary option for Atlanta. Bethancourt is just 4-for-30 (.133 average) with two walks in the early going.

Bethancourt is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Mets, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Bethancourt will turn backstop duties over to veteran A.J. Pierzynski after making back-to-back starts. With zero hits in his last three games (12 at-bats), Bethancourt is now batting .133 (4-for-30) in the early going. He may find himself taking a back seat to Pierzysnki more often if he doesn't pick it up.

Bethancourt will return to the lineup Sunday against the Blue Jays.

Bethancourt was on the bench for the Braves' previous two games while A.J. Pierzynski drew the start behind the plate with right-handers on the mound for the opposition. It appears manager Fredi Gonzalez may be employing a rough platoon between his two catchers, as Bethancourt will now enter back into the lineup Sunday with lefty Daniel Norris on the hill for Toronto. That kind of arrangement would hurt Bethancourt's value should it continue, as his right-handedness would generally afford him less at-bats. Even in a full-time role, Bethancourt isn't much of a threat with the bat to begin with, as most of his value comes in the form of his top-notch defensive abilities.

Bethancourt is out of the lineup Friday.

A.J. Pierzynski will set up behind the dish, as Bethancourt gets his second day off this week. So far he does not have a multi-hit game, but offense was never supposed to be a big part of the package with the defense-first rookie backstop.

Bethancourt is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Marlins.

Bethancourt has started five of the first eight games, while A.J. Pierzynski has now handled three. That bodes well for Bethancourt's chances to get most of the playing time this season, as the Braves have thus far faced just one left-handed starter. Bethancourt is only 4-for-18 (.222 BA), but he does have four runs, two RBI and a stolen base, along with two doubles, two walks and only three strikeouts.

Bethancourt is not in the lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Mets.

While Bethancourt remains the primary catcher for the Braves, both he and A.J. Pierzynski - who's batting fifth Sunday - are expected to see a fair amount of starts behind the plate. He will likely return to the lineup again Monday against the Marlins, but Pierzynski will probably start more than the average backup.

Bethancourt is out of the Braves' lineup Wednesday against Miami, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

A.J. Pierzynski will step in to catch starer Shelby Miller, pushing Bethancourt to the bench for first time this season. The 23-year-old Bethancourt doubled, walked and scored twice in Tuesday's 12-2 thrashing of the Marlins after an 0-for-4 showing in his debut. It appears Bethancourt will be the primary option behind the plate moving forward.

Bethancourt will catch and bat fifth against the Marlins on Monday.

The Opening Day start is by no means surprising, but Bethancourt's spot in the order is a bit. Bethancourt did, however, collect seven extra-base hits this spring (42 at-bats), and it seems manager Fredi Gonzalez views him as an important run producer. Jonny Gomes could bat fifth against lefties.