Tyler Stephenson DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson will retreat to the bench for Wednesday's game against the visiting Chicago White Sox at Great American Ball Park. Veteran Jose Trevino will do the catching for left-hander Nick Lodolo and will bat sixth against White Sox right-hander Davis Martin. Stephenson got a late start to the 2025 season due to injury and has yet to find his footing offensively after he hit a career-high 19 home runs and drove in a career-high 66 runs in 138 games in 2024. Through his first 10 games in 2025, the 28-year-old backstop has gone just 7-for-34 (.206) with a homer, five RBI and four runs scored in 40 trips to the plate. Trevino, who was serving as Cincy's starting catcher when Stephenson was on the injured list, has been much better with a .307 average (27-for-88) with three homers, 10 RBI and 15 runs scored.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (oblique) was activated off the 10-day injured list prior to Friday's game against the Washington Nationals. In a corresponding move, the Reds placed outfielder Austin Hays (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list. Stephenson has been sidelined through the first month of the campaign but should be in line to make his long-awaited season debut on Friday. Last season, the backstop posted a solid .258/.338/.444 slash line with 19 home runs and one stolen base. Under the hood, he generated a solid 43.9 percent hard-hit rate with a 9.1 percent barrel rate, which were both above the average marks. He also drew walks at a 9.3 percent rate. Fantasy managers should expect Stephenson to operate as the top backstop in Cincinnati for the remainder of the season. However, he is best to fade in DFS this evening facing Mitchell Parker, who enters this contest with a 2.65 ERA.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (oblique) is starting his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer's Gordon Wittenmyer. Stephenson worked out with Louisville over the weekend and is now ready to return to game action this week. The 28-year-old backstop hasn't played in a game since spring training in mid-March and opened the year on the 10-day injured list, so the Reds won't rush him back. In the meantime, veteran Jose Trevino will continue to operate as Cincy's primary catcher at the major-league level, with Austin Wynns backing him up. Although he has yet to make is 2025 debut, Stephenson is worth stashing in all fantasy leagues as one of the better power-hitting catchers in the league when he's healthy. He had a career-high 19 long balls and drove in 66 runs in 138 games in 2024.