Dodgers second baseman Miguel Vargas (14) and catcher Diego Cartaya (76) stretch during spring training at Camelback Ranch on Feb. 19, 2024. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Former Dodgers Top Prospect Officially Released by New Team After Shocking Struggles

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By J.P. Hoornstra | Last updated Jul 24, 2025 1:59 PM ET

The minor leagues are littered with players who never make it to the big leagues. The lowest levels of affiliated baseball feature a mix of bona fide prospects, and players who are fortunate to have extended their careers beyond college.

The disparity in talent at the upper levels of the minors is usually not as broad. Sometimes, the gap in talent between players on their organization's 40-man roster and their less talented teammates is obvious. Then there is the case of Diego Cartaya.

The former Dodgers catcher, traded to the Twins in January for minor league pitcher Jose Vasquez, was the top prospect in the Dodgers' organization prior to the 2022 and 2023 seasons. But by 2024 Cartaya found himself repeating Double-A, where his .733 OPS counted as a disappointment — even for a 22-year-old catcher.

The Dodgers could no longer afford to reserve a 40-man roster spot for Cartaya, but were able to find another team that still believed in his talent.

The Twins, however, were not rewarded for their faith.

In 20 games with the Twins' Triple-A St. Paul affiliate this season, Cartaya was batting .085 (5 for 59) with only one extra-base hit. He had an unfathomable 40 strikeouts in his first 69 plate appearances of the season.

When Minnesota claimed Jhonny Pereda off waivers Wednesday, Cartaya was granted his release in a corresponding roster move.

The Twins released catcher Diego Cartaya, a former top prospect with the Dodgers, after they claimed Jhonny Pereda off waivers.

Cartaya had five hits in 59 at-bats (.085 average) with 40 strikeouts in AAA.
— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) July 23, 2025

It's a surprising, swift turnaround for a once-heralded prospect.

When Cartaya was added to the Dodgers' 40-man roster in November 2022, he was widely seen as a potential future starting catcher in MLB — if not for the Dodgers, then for another team where he would not be blocked by an All-Star incumbent like Will Smith.

But while the other prospects the Dodgers protected from the Rule 5 draft that offseason (Michael Busch, Andy Pages, Jonny DeLuca) all made it, Cartaya could not follow up on his 22-homer season between Single-A and High-A in 2022.

Now, Cartaya will look to revive his career with another organization. If he is claimed by another team, it will be his third different organization in less than a year.

As for Vasquez, the pitcher the Dodgers acquired for Cartaya, he has a 14.44 ERA in 14 games (eight starts) with the Dodgers' Arizona Complex League team this summer.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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