The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired catcher Ben Rortvedt from the New York Mets ahead of Monday’s trade deadline.
The Dodgers sent right-handed pitcher Chayce McDermott, who was designated for assignment last week, to New York.
Rortvedt, 28, has been acquired by the Dodgers for the second straight year ahead of the deadline. Last year, Rortvedt was part of the three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and Cincinnati Reds that sent catcher Hunter Feduccia out.
Initially just a throw-in, Rortvedt became a critical piece to the Dodgers’ 2025 postseason run. Following injuries to Will Smith and Dalton Rushing, Rortvedt was thrust into a starting role down the stretch and even early in the postseason.
Across 18 regular season games last year with LA, Rortvedt hit .224 with one home run, four RBIs and an OPS of .636. Across four postseason games, he went 3-for-7 (.429).
More important than his bat, Rortvedt was a stabilizing force with the pitchers, helping navigate them through the stretch run of the season. The Dodgers valued his work with the staff, and now have him back as insurance for the rest of the year.
“Ben has been an unsung hero,” manager Dave Roberts said of Rortvedt last year. “Just coming in here trying to replace an All-Star catcher. He has the trust in the pitchers. He’s a servant first. He receives well. He throws well. He just understands who he is as a hitter. So to be able to kind of move runners, see pitches, put the ball in play, get hits when we need him.
“He’s been fantastic. And he had big shoes to fill, but he’s done a great job with the fingers, the catching, all of it.”
Dodgers Dealing With Injuries to Will Smith and Dalton Rushing
The Dodgers, again, are dealing with injuries to both of their catchers.
Smith has been out since early June due to an inflamed disc in his neck. He’s finally restarted baseball activities, but remains at least three to four weeks away from a return.
“I know Will is anxious to get back out there,” Roberts said this weekend. “But there still has to be a progression and games played. I just don’t see it before three or four weeks.”
As for Rushing, he was scratched from Sunday’s game minutes before first pitch due to what the team called “minor arm irritation.” Roberts called him “day-to-day.”
“Dalton had some arm irritation when he was playing catch before the game, which is very uncommon,” Roberts said after the game. “I didn’t want to take a chance and kind of push him anymore, so that’s why I decided to scratch him.
“He got treated today, and my expectation is he’s going to be with us on the plane, and then kind of day to day.”
Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. is currently the backup to Rushing. It remains to be seen if Rortvedt replaces him on the roster (or if Rushing is forced to go on the IL).
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