Reds quietly lose safety net after Dodgers reclaim a familiar face

Ben Rortvedt was designated for assignment last week in order to make room for Eugenio Suárez on the Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster. The Reds were obviously hoping to pass the catcher through waivers and outright him to Triple-A Louisville. Unfortunately, the Los Angeles Dodgers had other plans.

The Dodgers claimed Rortvedt off waivers last week, and he's now back with LA as part of their 40-man roster. Given that Cincinnati has two established veteran catchers on the team — Tyler Stephenson and Jose Trevino — Rortvedt was more of a luxury than an essential part of the roster. His absence, however, exposes a painful truth about the Reds' depth behind the plate.

While so many Reds fans have cited the team's abundance of starting pitchers, outfielders, and corner infielders, there's a scarcity of catchers; both on the 40-man roster and within the organization as a whole. Alfredo Duno has been touted as the Reds' catcher of the future, but that future is at least two years away.

Dodgers claim Ben Rortvedt off waivers and expose Reds' roster problem

In addition to Stephenson and Trevino, the Reds will bring at least four more backstops to camp this week. Will Banfield — who made his Major League debut late last season during Stephenson's second IL stint — will join Connor Burns, P.J. Higgins, and Michael Trautwein as the team's cadre of catchers in Arizona.

Banfield appeared in seven games last season and had just one hit in 10 plate appearances. Higgins has a career .639 OPS in the big leagues, but hasn't been in The Show since 2022. Burns was a fifth-round pick of the Reds in 2023, and his combined .178/.280/.336 slash line across three Minor League seasons can't inspire much confidence. Trautwein, now 26 years old, has been languishing in the organization since 2021.

The hope, of course, is that Stephenson and Trevino can survive the 2026 campaign unscathed, but fans who've watched baseball over the years know better. Stephenson combined to play 280 games from 2023-2024, but was only available for 88 games last season and spent two separate stints on the IL in 2025.

Unless one of the Reds' catchers suffered an injury during spring training, Rortvedt was never going to break camp with the big-league ball club. He's out of minor-league options. But his absence certainly highlights an area of concern on the Reds' roster, and Nick Krall should be on the lookout for another catcher this spring — one that could provide Cincinnati with a little more depth behind the plate.