Braves rookie catcher Christian Bethancourt has been talked about as a top prospect for so long, it’s easy to forget he’s still quite young.

So while he’s not lived up to expectations that everyone had for him, the Braves aren’t giving up on Bethancourt, who’ll turn 24 Wednesday and will get a majority of the starts at catcher during September.

Veteran catcher A.J. Pierzysnki, arguably the team MVP, will see his playing time reduced in the final month as the Braves try to get a better idea of where Bethancourt is. They need to know if they can count on him to be their primary catcher next season.

Demoted to Triple-A in mid-June, Bethancourt was recalled last week and went 3-for-15 with two RBIs, one walk and six strikeouts in his first five games since returning, including four starts.

Despite the initial results since he was recalled — he was 1-for-13 before getting a pair of singles in his last at-bats in Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the Yankees – manager Fredi Gonzalez said he’s seen some signs of progress from Bethancourt.

“I’ve seen the swing shorten up a little,” Gonzalez said. “I know the numbers don’t show it, but I’ve seen the swing shorten up in batting practice. And I’ve seen him be more consistent behind the plate. And that’s what Snit (Triple-A Gwinnett manager Brian Snitker) said. “But he’s only caught four games (since returning).”

“He seems more focused. He’s been doing his job a lot better.”

Part of that is working with pitchers on strategy against opposing hitters, before and during games.

“He did that before, but it never translated to the field,” Gonzalez said. “Sometimes you’d see the (bad) body language. It’s only been four games, but Snit was really complimentary of him about doing all those things that we asked him to do” after being sent down.

Braves bullpen coach and former Braves catcher Eddie Perez never had Bethancourt’s physical skills. But Perez maximized the talent he had and was a heady catcher who developed a rapport with pitchers. Which is perhaps why Perez has been frustrated at times by Bethancourt’s development and occasional lapses in concentration and effort.

“A little, yeah,” Perez said. “But he’s still young. It’s like everybody on this team, you have to have patience. You look at (pitcher Mike) Foltynewicz and those guys – patience. And that’s what I have with Bethancourt. I think he’s going to be great. He’s still young, he’s still learning. And the best part is, he’s still got the talent, the arm.”

When asked what he’s seen from Bethancourt since he returned last week, Perez initially seemed something less than blown-away impressed, saying “He’s the same.”

But when he elaborated, Perez allowed that he’s seen improvement, some encouraging signs.

“I think maybe has a different attitude now with this being probably his second or third chance,” Perez said. “I hope he understands that. I told him, I said, ‘Look, you’re starting over again. It’s like the first day.’ He’s different now. It’s not like at the beginning of the year, when he knew he was going to be here the whole year. Now he’s trying to do good so he can stay.”

The Braves weren’t surprised when Bethancourt feasted upon Triple-A pitching after being demoted, batting .327 with 23 extra-base hits (four homers), 31 RBIs and an .880 OPS in 52 games. More than the statistics, what they were pleased about was how he responded to being sent down.

“Since the first day I got sent down,” Bethancourt said. “I went to Snit’s offense the first day and said, hey, I’m ready to play. He said, ‘That’s what I wanted to herar, that you’re ready to play. I didn’t want to see you with your head down because you got sent down. I just want you to play and do the best you can so you can get out of here.’”

Now that he’s back in the majors, Bethancourt wants to do what it takes to stay.

“I just stay positive,” he said. “You’re always going to get your chance, your opportunity. That was a setback that I had, but that doesn’t mean my career is over. It’s just, you’re going to take a step back to take two forward. That’s the way I took it. Just staying positive, and I think I was pretty good down there in Triple-A.”