Tyler Stephenson's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (hand) was removed from Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers for precautionary reasons. Stephenson was hit in the right hand by a pitch and replaced in the game by Luke Maile. The 27-year-old went 1-for-2 with a run scored before being removed. According to Reds manager David Bell, the removal of Stephenson was precautionary. Stephenson avoided a severe injury and could be back for Sunday's series finale against the Rangers. He is slashing .231/.338/.415 with three home runs, 10 RBI, 12 runs, and a stolen base over 23 games in 2024. Stephenson is expected to be fine and solid fantasy option in two-catcher formats.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson hit his second homer in as many games in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Angels. Saturday's home run came in the bottom of the first inning and with the bases loaded, part of a five-run inning for the Reds, a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the game. The grand slam was Stephenson's lone hit of the game though, going 1-for-4 with four RBI and a run scored. The 27-year-old is hitting just .213 on the season, but likes the home cooking much more apparently, with a .320-2-8-4-0 line at home but .091-1-2-5-0 line on the road (.299 career BA at home vs .241 on the road). Stephenson sits just outside the top-12 catchers right now in season-long fantasy, but is probably a better DFS play at this point.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson will hit out of the cleanup spot for the first time this season on Friday against the Angels and left-hander Tyler Anderson. The backstop has hit all over the lineup this season with his most common spot in the lineup coming out of the nine-hole. It's been a slow start for the 27-year-old at the dish this season following a down season in the 2023 campaign. Stephenson is hitting just .214 with one homer and a .640 OPS across his first 46 plate appearances of the campaign. The Reds enter a three-game set with the Angels sporting a 9-9 record, good for fourth place in the NL Central.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson will start Friday's game against the visiting New York Mets on the bench. Instead, Luke Maile will catch right-hander Hunter Greene and bat ninth against Mets left-hander Jose Quintana. Maile has never faced the veteran Quintana in his career and has one hit in his first nine plate appearances this year, but that one hit was a two-run home run. Still, Maile will be a poor choice with a low ceiling in DFS lineups on Friday. Stephenson, who disappointed in 2023 in his fourth year with the Reds, is also off to a slow start in 2024 with three hits in his first 16 plate appearances with five strikeouts in his first six games played.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is taking a seat for Saturday's contest against the Washington Nationals and left-hander Patrick Corbin. Stephenson went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Thursday's 8-2 Opening Day win but will give way to veteran Luke Maile, who will hit eighth Saturday. The fact the 27-year-old is sitting against a lefty following a day off is certainly interesting, considering starting pitcher Hunter Greene owns a 5.40 ERA when throwing to Maile. While his 5.29 mark with Stephenson isn't much better, Stephenson has the superior bat between the two despite a down 2023 season. Stephenson hit .243 with 13 home runs last season but still owns a career .271 average with a .763 OPS across 333 career appearances.