Donay is heading to the Rays, leaving a hole in the Gators lineup Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Florida Gators Left With Concerns at Catcher After Rays Sign Brody Donay

Originally posted on Florida Gators on SI
By Tyler Carmona | Last updated Jul 24, 2025 2:26 PM ET

When it was announced that Luke Heyman, Florida Gators starting catcher last season, was expected to sign with the Seattle Mariners, Gators fans were at least hopeful that backup catcher Brody Donay would return.

But according to Gator Country’s Nick Marcinko, that won’t be the case either. Donay is expected to sign with the Tampa Bay Rays after being selected in the 17th round of the MLB Draft, meaning Florida will have a new face behind the plate next season.

#Gators catcher Brody Donay has signed with the Tampa Bay Rays, a source confirms.

The 17th round selection hit .303 with 18 home runs throughout his junior season. pic.twitter.com/aKW7m2EU5p
— Nick Marcinko (@marcinko_nick) July 24, 2025

Last season, Donay appeared in 57 games, leading the Gators in OPS (1.064) while hitting for an average of .303 and tying for the team lead with 18 home runs.

Although most of Donay’s 30 starts came at designated hitter, he filled in as the team’s starting catcher after Heyman suffered a season-ending injury against Alabama.

Before spending the past two seasons at Florida, Donay started 33 games as a true freshman at Virginia Tech, hitting for a .260 average while hitting 12 homers.

Since the MLB Draft wrapped up earlier this month, four Gators have signed with their respective teams: Bobby Boser with the Oakland Athletics, Luke Heyman with the Seattle Mariners, Jordan Yost with the Detroit Tigers, and Jake Clemente with the Miami Marlins.

While every listed catcher from last year's team has either turned professional or hit the transfer portal, Florida has added three catchers via the transfer portal since the end of the season: Cole Stanford (Lenoir Rhyne), Karson Bowen (TCU) and AJ Malzone (Wabash Valley).