Amid a flurry of roster moves the Los Angeles Dodgers made last week was one that seemingly went under the radar and led to Ben Rortvedt getting claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds after being designated for assignment.
Rortvedt was a surprising contributor this past season and played a key role filling in for Will Smith while he was injured. The 28-year-old was acquired by the Dodgers at the trade deadline, along with Paul Gervase and Adam Serwinowski in a three-team deal with the Tampa Bay Rays and Reds.
Gervase made one appearance for the Dodgers in 2025, while Serwinowski performed well in limited action for High-A Great Lakes.
One interesting note about Rortvedt’s situation is that he and the Dodgers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a new contract prior to being put on waivers, according to Kiley McDaniel of ESPN:
C Ben Rortvedt signed a $1.25 million big league deal with the Dodgers before being put on waivers, per source. He was arbitration eligible.
Rortvedt was claimed off waivers yesterday by the Reds.
— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) November 13, 2025
If the Dodgers knew they were going to place Rortvedt on waivers, there wouldn’t appear to be a need for them to give him a new contract on the surface level. Their motivation could have been any number of things.
Perhaps they simply wanted to do Rortvedt a solid for his hard work, or perhaps more likely, the Dodgers hoped he could get through waivers without being claimed due to the new salary and thus remain in the organization.
Whatever the reason, the Dodgers will have to figure out their organizational depth chart at catcher behind Smith and Dalton Rushing after losing Rortvedt and trading away Hunter Feduccia at the deadline.
As it currently stands, Smith and Rushing are the only two catchers on the 40-man roster. The team did already sign Eliezer Alfonzo to a Minor League contract so far this offseason.
Ben Rortvedt was ‘unsung hero’ for Dodgers
Rortvedt had an -8 wRC+ in 26 games with the Rays this season, which improved to an 84 wRC+ in 18 games with the Dodgers. The backstop hit .224.309/.327 with two doubles, one home run and four RBI in that time.
Rortvedt added three hits in six at-bats as the Dodgers’ starting catcher for the National League Wild Card Series, and he was behind the plate again for Game 1 of the NL Division Series.
Any offensive contributions the Dodgers get from Rortvedt are a bonus, as most of his impact is felt from behind the plate. His ability to manage the pitching staff was what impressed manager Dave Roberts the most.
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