Dodgers Select Ben Rortvedt

The Dodgers announced four moves involving backstops, as they have completely switched up their catching corps. They have selected the contract of catcher Ben Rortvedt and activated recent trade acquisition Hunter Feduccia. Eliezer Alfonzo has been optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma and Chuckie Robinson has been designated for assignment.

The catching plans in Los Angeles have changed a lot this year. Will Smith and Dalton Rushing made up the tandem earlier in the campaign. Smith has been on the injured list for almost two months now due to an inflamed disc in his neck. Robinson partnered up with Rushing for most of June but the club pivoted to Alfonzo in July. Ahead of yesterday’s deadline, the club acquired Feduccia and Rortvedt in separate trades then put Rushing on the IL due to inflammation in his elbow. Robinson was added back to the roster to replace Rushing but has now been quickly bumped off again for the reinforcements.

The Dodgers clearly like Rortvedt, despite a lack of big league success as a hitter. He has a .190/.279/.270 batting line in 633 big league plate appearances but good marks for his defense. The Dodgers have acquired him multiple times, including last year’s deadline as well. He got a decent amount of playing time late last season, also due to an injury to Smith.

At the end of the season, the Dodgers signed him to a $1.25MM deal to avoid arbitration and then quickly put him on waivers. Seemingly, the plan was for him to be outrighted so that he could serve as non-roster depth in Triple-A. However, the Reds plucked him from the wire. Later in the offseason, Cincinnati put him back on waivers and the Dodgers re-claimed him. A second attempt to get him through led to a claim by the Mets. Around Opening Day, the Mets were able to outright him and keep him as non-roster depth, which led to yesterday’s trade.

Since Rortvedt didn’t have a 40-man spot at the time of the trade, he could have been kept in a non-roster capacity with the Dodgers rostering Feduccia and then either Alfonzo or Robinson. Instead, they are giving the big league job to Rortvedt while bumping Robinson from the 40-man and sending Alfonzo to serve as Triple-A depth.

Robinson, as mentioned, got briefly added to the roster to fill the one-day gap where Rushing was hurt but the new acquisitions hadn’t arrived yet. He’s another guy the Dodgers clearly like for his defense and work with a pitching staff because the offense isn’t there. He has a .124/.157/.176 line in 164 plate appearances. He will be on waivers in the coming days and will likely clear, as he has in the past, including last month. Since he has been outrighted before, he would have the right to elect free agency if he clears again, but he accepted his assignment last month and perhaps would do so again.