Tyler Stephenson DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said that catcher Tyler Stephenson (oblique) was "revved up" after his MRI exam on Monday, which yielded favorable results. Stephenson will now be more aggressive in his recovery from a left-oblique injury that he suffered in spring training and caused him to open the 2025 regular season on the injured list. The 28-year-old backstop will need to eventually go on at least a short minor-league rehab assignment, but barring a setback with his oblique injury, he could be able to make his season debut before April ends. When he's healthy, Stephenson will be Cincy's primary catcher, and he has appeal as a No. 1 catcher in all fantasy leagues. Until he returns, the Reds will continue to move forward with veteran Jose Trevino as their starter behind the dish with Austin Wynns backing him up.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (oblique) will be forced to open the 2025 regular season on the injured list after being diagnosed with a low-grade oblique strain. The Reds weren't too worried about Stephenson's injury when he initially was announced as dealing with a sore back, and although it shouldn't be a long-term injury, it will keep the 28-year-old from playing on Opening Day and in early April. He will now miss the rest of spring training and will hope that he doesn't suffer any setbacks when he eventually starts to ramp up baseball activities. It means that Jose Trevino will now open the year as Cincy's starting catcher, with Austin Wynns likely backing him up. After a bounce-back 2024 season in which the former first-rounder hit .258 with career-highs in homers (19) and RBI (66), Stephenson will now fall outside the top-10 fantasy catchers due to his oblique injury.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (back) is going for an MRI exam after being scratched from Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Texas Rangers due to lower-back pain, according to manager Terry Francona. The Reds initially said that they thought Stephenson "was going to be fine." The starting backstop has hit .227 with a home run and four walks in 22 official spring training at-bats this year. If his injury turns out to be serious enough to land him on the injured list to open the regular season, Jose Trevino would be forced into regular playing time behind the dish in Cincy. Fantasy managers will want to check back later for Stephenson's MRI results, but for now he should be considered day-to-day. The 28-year-old had a resurgent 2024 campaign with career-highs in homers (19), RBI (66) and runs (69) and should be considered a top-10 fantasy catcher as long as his back injury isn't anything serious.