The Reds announced today that catcher Tyler Stephenson has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a thumb fracture. In a corresponding move, the club has selected the contract of catcher Will Banfield from Triple-A. He’ll take the 40-man roster spot of Jake Fraley, who was designated for assignment over the weekend and claimed off waivers by the Braves yesterday.
Stephenson, 29, was selected 11th overall by Cincinnati back in 2015 and has been the club’s primary catcher since 2021. Long considered a bat-first option behind the plate, he’s also seen occasional time at DH and first base over the years but entered the 2025 season with a solid .267/.343/.427 (107 wRC+) slash line for his career, including a 113 wRC+ during the 2024 campaign. Unfortunately, he’s struggled to produce at the plate this year and has ceded much of his playing time to Jose Trevino behind the dish. Stephenson gotten into 72 games this year, with a .226/.313/.393 (90 wRC+) line in 288 plate appearances. Most concerning is his massive 34.4% strikeout rate, which is eleven points north of his career mark of 23.4%.
That Stephenson is injured isn’t exactly a surprise, seeing as he suffered the injury on a pitch caught from Hunter Greene last week against the Phillies. He’s played just one game since then due to the issue, and now that he’s on the shelf it’s unclear when he’ll be back in the lineup. The Reds have given no indication about his timeline for return at this point, and that leaves Trevino to take over regular duties behind the plate after spitting time with Stephenson throughout the year.
After getting his start with the Rangers back in 2018, Trevino developed into a top-tier defender behind the plate before being traded to the Yankees. He posted a wRC+ of just 81 across his three seasons in the Bronx but won a platinum glove for his work at catcher before being shipped to Cincinnati in exchange for Fernando Cruz and Alex Jackson over the offseason. The 32-year-old hasn’t looked quite as good this year behind the plate and is hitting just .176/.205/.206 since the start of July, but remains a plus pitch framer. Still, for a club with an excellent rotation but a lackluster offense, losing Stephenson’s bat from the lineup is a considerable blow as the Reds look to sneak their way into the NL Wild Card conversation.
For the time being, Trevino will be backed up by Banfield. The 25-year-old spent his whole career in the Marlins organization before electing free agency and signing a minor league deal with the Reds last November. He’s struggled badly at the plate in 73 games at Triple-A this year, hitting just .220/.277/.304 with a wRC+ of 53. Brutal as that slash line may be, however, Banfield is viewed as a solid defender behind the plate who should serve as an adequate backup for Trevino while Stephenson’s thumb recovers. Behind Banfield, the club’s additional catching depth leaves much to be desired. P.J. Higgins and Eric Yang are both in the club’s minor league system but Yang has just one game of big league experience and is hitting poorly at Triple-A while Higgins is generally viewed as a lackluster defender behind the plate, hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2022, and has hit just .210/.291/.348 (85 wRC+) in 83 games at the big league level for his career.
Excellent day for young men from Lawrenceville Georgia
The question needs to be asked. If it is an actual thumb FRACTURE, then why does it take a week to put him on the disabled list and get a backup catcher up to the bigs?
Because the Reds have one of the worst medical staff. This isn’t the first time they have done something stupid like this.
I agree, the reds medical staff is terrible. It shows in cases like this and even with burns the other day. It takes the reds forever to disclose injuries which reflects incompetence.
There injury prevention is just as bad as their medical staff too
Congratulatations! You could not have gotten those theres any more wrong.
Fractures can come in all sizes. I don’t know his case specifically but it’s not uncommon for small fractures to be discovered once swelling goes down, despite initial scans appearing clear
exactly! and as was stated on tv & radio, the Reds were waiting on Tyler to decide if he could play through it… as some catchers can depending on where the factors is
Waldo- you really have to stop posting truths on this site. Facts get in the way of the fault finders.
Glad they played Trevino four days in a row before doing this
Where is Austin Wynns when you need him?
I believe he’s with the A’s and on their 60-day IL
Did this guy mash his up diving into a base too?
Nope. He got it catching a pitch, which is his job. Maybe getting the man a glove with better thumb padding would help.
Then again I’m not an expert on catchers mitts. And sometimes things just happen.
Hopefully it’s a small enough fracture he can heal quickly.
The reds need Tyler for the stretch run. He’s fun to watch, and he seems to have exude a postive team energy based on the few gams I watched the redlegs. Hopefully this is a minimum IL stay.
The Reds need what steve-o has always been expected to provide; passable defense and a ++bat who can catch 4-5 days/week and minimal IL stints. We’re still waiting.
Keep dreaming about the haul the Reds could have gotten for him a month ago…
Luke Maile is out there. He knows the club from a couple of years with the team
Maile is playing for the Royals
Stephenson will enter final year of team control after this season. Injuries have taken the toll on his production, maybe it’s time to move on.
agreed
Under what I am now calling the India plan, he would have been traded in the offseason anyway, especially considering they extended Trevino.
This one- I suppose you would rather keep and ultimately overpay Stephenson with his .230 something average and average defensive skills. Reds should explore a trade in the off season. Let someone else overpay.
Sounds to me like he would have traded steve-o last offseason or at the deadline. When he still had an inkling of value.
Can’t say I disagree.
There has to be a buyer and they would have to be willing to take him on hurt. This coming offseason or last.
I think he’s a cut player this offseason pending on arb number. I doubt reds cut him regardless since they struggle signing free agents but most organizations aren’t going to pay him 5 mil next season if that’s his arb #
Reds won’t pay his number regardless paying Trevino as well, so they will trade him regardless. The question is will they get a competent other catcher for cheap. Because you know they will go cheap.
the only real option for a competent catcher is Duno, but he’s in A ball in Daytona. I’m sure they’ll pick up a depth catcher or two this offseason.
At the very least explore his trade value.
Move on he is a stiff with avg skills
They can’t move on until he recovers.
“Brutal s that slash line may be” is NOT PROPER ENGLISH. You can’t just leave “as” out to start the sentence—it isn’t optional. If you’re a paid writer, you can’t pick and choose when you use correct grammar.