Reds catcher Aramís García has shined in Tyler Stephenson's absence

Tyler Stephenson's injury illustrated the Cincinnati Reds lack of depth at the catcher position. With Tucker Barnhart now in Detroit and the Reds top catching prospects years away from making it to the big leagues, things were not looking good.

But Aramís García has been able to negate any concerns that Reds Country may have had. With consistent playing time of late, García is thriving as David Bell's everyday backstop.

The 29-year-old was 3-for-4 last night in the Cincinnati Reds 5-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs. In his last seven games, García is hitting .421/.450/.421 with three RBIs. That's fantastic production from the No. 9 hitter in the batting order.

Aramís García enjoying success as the Reds everyday catcher.

Aramís García outdueled fellow catcher Andrew Knapp during spring training. The former San Francisco Giants prospect showed massive pop, posting a .955 slugging percentage with five home runs 22 at-bats during Cactus League play.

But, as Tyler Stephenson's backup, it was rare that we'd see García on the field more than once per week. García received some extra playing time earlier during the season when Stephenson was shelved a couple weeks with a concussion.

But with Stephenson, an All-Star caliber catcher, you have to assume that García's playing time would be limited. The Reds, especially this season, cannot afford to keep Stephenson's bat out of the lineup.

Since Stephenson went on the IL with a fractured thumb, García has been hitting .270 with a .325 on-base percentage. You can't ask for much more from your backup catcher.

The Cincinnati Reds recently acquired switch-hitting catcher Michael Papierski. Cincinnati optioned Chris Okey to Triple-A Louisville and outrighted Colin Moran in order to make room on the 40-man roster.

The Reds have some talented catchers in the farm system, but none of them have played above A-Ball. Aramís García is under team control through the 2025 season, so the Reds may have their catching tandem intact for the next few years.