First of all, what is the Tyler Stephenson situation? Well, he was scratched from his scheduled start against the Rangers at Surprise Stadium yesterday with back spasms. According to MLB.com reporter Mark Sheldon, Coach Terry Francona told him before the game, that Tyler would be fine, and that they basically did not want to push him. I completely understand that, I was at the game yesterday, the weather was on the cool and damp side, especially for Arizona.

the situation worsens

But today, Francona told Mark that Tyler was going to get an MRI on his back. This is a little more troubling. I don’t want to panic or read more into the situation, so, for now I will leave it at that and simply call it a situation.

But, it is a situation, that we need to monitor, because it could quickly snowball. Let me explain. The Reds currently only have two catchers not only on the 26 man roster, but on the 40 man roster as well. That means you would need to make a move and add another catcher to the 40 man. Now, I know, if the situation calls for it you would just simply place Stephenson on the IL and use that roster spot for the third catcher.

The situation gets more complicated by who is currently on the roster. Earlier in the off-season, the Reds swung a trade for Jose Trevino when they traded right-handed reliever Fernando Cruz and catcher Alex Jackson. Cruz did not make his MLB debut until the age of 32. He is currently a 34 year-old reliever who has a career ERA in 141 games of 4.52. But, last year he did strike out 109 hitters in only 69 appearances. He is also not eligible for arbitration until the 2026 season.

The trevino story

Trevino’s story is very well suited for a back-up catcher role with a big league club. Trevino came to the Yankees in a trade with the Texas Rangers prior to the 2022 season. He performed well in his first half year with the Yankees, which led to his first and only All-Star appearance in that season. At the conclusion of the 2022 season Trevino received more hardware in the form of a Gold Glove and the American League Platinum glove. These awards were well deserved as Jose led all American League catchers with 21 defensive runs saved in the 22 season. As far as offense, he leveled out a bit with a final season line of a .248 batting average, 11 home runs, and a .671 OPS.

In 2023 he played in only 55 games due to a torn ligament in his wrist. In those 55 games his production had fallen off to a slash line of .210/.257/.312 with 4 home runs and a total of 15 RBI’s. He rehabbed and recovered from the injury and began the 2024 campaign as the Yankees starter. But by July he was injured yet again, this time it was his quadricep and in those 73 games his finished with a .215 batting average and 8 home runs. Trevino is a defensive specialist with below average offense and a history of injury problems. These traits are fine for a $3.4M back-up catcher in the final year before he hits free agency, but he is not a long term solution if this situation snowballs.

Who would be the third catcher?

Trevino has a career offensive production of 74 in terms of wRC+ (100 is average). Not good. So, who are the Reds going to partner with him? Austin Wynns is in camp on a minor league deal, and has had a total of 673 big-league plate appearances. But, he has a wRC+ of an even worse 65 in those 673 at bats. Last years back-up catcher Luke Maile is currently in camp with the Kansas City Royals, but as a non-roster invitee. He may be made available. Last year in 53 games he had a .178 batting average and a -0.4 WAR.

The Reds shurley have a catcher in the minors? They have one catcher ranked in their current top 30 prospect pipeline, Alfredo Duno he is in Single A Daytona and is 19 years old. He is realistically a few years away, but you can read more about him here, in a piece by Ricky Logan published on this site a couple months ago.

Before we panic, let’s pump the brakes. Stephenson was pulled from 1 game and is having an MRI. Keep it in perspective, call it a situation, and just monitor it. But, it is a long season and let’s hope we don’t have to visit this article later.

Stat Credit; ESPN, MLBtraderumors.com, CBSSports.com

Photo Credit; Cincinnati Enquirer, MLB.com, FanSided

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