Tyler Stephenson DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson helped lead the team's offensive barrage in an 11-1 blowout of the Detroit Tigers on Saturday. With the Reds leading 2-1 in the top of the fifth inning, Stephenson stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and connected on a grand slam against right-hander Jack Flaherty. Stephenson added a double and an additional run scored in a 2-for-5 afternoon. An oblique injury sidelined Stephenson through April, but the 28-year-old has logged quality production since he made his season debut May 2. Stephenson is hitting .262/.336/.475 with six homers and 22 RBI in 137 plate appearances. However, Stephenson's 35% strikeout rate (up from 22.7 last year) and unsustainable .377 batting average on balls in play point to negative regression. He tallied two more strikeouts Saturday in an otherwise excellent performance.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson had a great game at the plate in Monday's 7-4 win over the Royals. Stephenson went 3-for-5 with two singles, a two-run home run, and three RBI. The 28-year-old crushed a fifth-inning Michael Lorenzen fastball into the left-field bullpen for his second long ball of the season. Stephenson has had an underwhelming offensive season so far, slashing .209/.312/.373 with two HR and nine RBI in 77 plate appearances, although he did miss time at the start of the season with a left oblique strain. He has been useful at times throughout his fantasy career, but fantasy managers may want to see him produce more consistently before turning to him unless they are in deeper two-catcher leagues.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson and outfielder Spencer Steer are not in Sunday's lineup when they conclude a series against the Chicago Cubs. Stephenson has been in the starting nine in each of the past six games. During this stretch, the backstop posted a .150/.292/.250 slash line with two doubles. This afternoon, Jose Trevino will be behind the dish and will bat in the six-hole. Steer has been a staple of the starting nine throughout the campaign but will get the day off. Over his last 12 games, Steer has tallied at least one hit in each contest. During this productive stretch, Steer has held a strong .357/.386/.548 slash line. With Steer sitting out, Connor Joe will enter the lineup. The Reds are a strong target in DFS facing Chicago right-hander Ben Brown, who carries a high 5.44 ERA.

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.