The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Ben Rortvedt in a three-team deal with the Tampa Bay Rays and Cincinnati Reds at the trade deadline to replace Hunter Feduccia as the third catcher on their organizational depth chart.
As Will Smith deals with a bone bruise in his throwing hand and Dalton Rushing recently landed on the 10-day injured list due to a right shin contusion, Rortvedt has taken on a significant role with the Dodgers.
Over the last week, he has appeared in five games (three starts) behind the plate and was part of two near no-hitters.
“I think with Ben, what’s good is that he knows his role on the team,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Rortvedt.
“He’s a servant. He’s a backup catcher that’s there for his pitchers, and he’s done a great job of receiving, learning these pitchers and trying to understand what they’re good at, to go through sequencing, targeting, and so it’s nice.
“It’s really good to see, he really understands who he is as a Major League ball player.”
Rortvedt doesn’t provide much in the way of offense but he excels at game-calling and receiving, which is exactly what the Dodgers need from him.
He was in sync with Yoshinobu Yamamoto during a dominant performance over the weekend and there was just one instance of not being on the same page as Tyler Glasnow in his seven no-hit innings.
Prior to the Dodgers, the 27-year-old appeared in parts of four Major League seasons with the Minnesota Twins (2021), New York Yankees (2023) and Rays (2024-2025).
Ben Rortvedt happy to contribute
While Smith is expected to return to the Dodgers lineup on Tuesday, Rortvedt has enjoyed getting to contribute to his new team.
“First, I’m just grateful to help out,” Rortvedt said. “You can’t replace what Will Smith does on this team. He’s the glue that holds this team together.
“So I’m just grateful to help out. Learned a lot from this week from him, and then Dalton.”
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