Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson has been recognized with a low-grade indirect pressure and can open the 2025 season on the injured listing, reports Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. He underwent an MRI Thursday after experiencing discomfort in his again and aspect, and the imaging has revealed a pressure. The group has not but supplied an anticipated timetable for Stephenson’s return, although it’s not unusual for gamers to require round a month to recuperate from even Grade 1 indirect strains.
It’s a tricky blow for the Reds to start out the season. After a down season in 2023, Stephenson delivered a pleasant rebound effort in 2024, slashing .258/.338/.444 whereas popping a career-best 19 house runs. That marks 4 instances in elements of 5 MLB seasons that the now-28-year-old former first-round decide has been comfortably above common on the plate. He’s a profession .267/.343/.427 hitter, which is strong manufacturing for any place however particularly for a catcher, the place the vast majority of his friends are below-average bats with a extra defensive-minded strategy to the sport.
With Stephenson headed to the injured listing, the door will open for offseason commerce acquisition Jose Trevino to start the season as Cincinnati’s beginning catcher. The Reds picked up Trevino in a trade sending reliever Fernando Cruz to the Yankees.
Whereas the 32-year-old Trevino isn’t a lot of a menace on the plate — profession .236/.275/.362 batting line — he’s a premium defender who received a Platinum Glove as just lately as 2022. The veteran’s throwing was uncharacteristically below-average in 2024, as he thwarted simply 18.6% of stolen-base makes an attempt after sitting at 25.6% and 33.3% within the two prior seasons, respectively. Nonetheless, Trevino is a plus framer who attracts constantly glorious marks for his means to dam pitches within the dust. He’ll in all probability hit on the backside of the Reds’ order whereas Stephenson is on the mend.
Stephenson and Trevino are presently the one catchers on the Reds’ 40-man roster, in order that they’ll should make a transfer so as to add a backstop earlier than the season begins. Veteran Austin Wynns, who appeared in seven video games for Cincinnati final 12 months, is in camp as a non-roster invitee and stands as the favourite to return as much as the roster. Catchers Will Banfield and Michael Trautwein have been in big-league camp as effectively. It’s additionally doable that the Reds will scoop up a veteran backup possibility who opts out of a minor-league deal elsewhere or seize a catcher off waivers, ought to anybody hit the wire as groups set their rosters within the latter phases of camp.
