Ben Rortvedt has had an interesting few months since winning the 2025 World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was recently designated for assignment by the Dodgers for a second time since the end of last season, and he has once again been claimed.
This time, Rortvedt heads to the New York Mets, giving him the opportunity to compete for their backup job with Austin Barnes.
L.A. designated Rortvedt for assignment earlier this offseason, a short time after the two sides agreed on a one-year, $1.25 million contract to avoid arbitration. He was claimed by the Cincinnati Reds and spent some time in their organization before they let him go.
The Dodgers then claimed him back on Feb. 6 and designated Anthony Banda for assignment.
The most recent move to put Rortvedt on waivers was to make room for Evan Phillips on the 40-man roster after the right-handed reliever re-signed with the Dodgers on a one-year, $6.5 million contract.
Rortvedt first joined the Dodgers on July 31, 2025, via a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. He played in 18 games for Los Angeles, batting .224 with one homer and four RBI while making an impact behind the plate as well.
The Dodgers hoped to pass the backup catcher through waivers and keep him in the organization after this tactic failed the first time. The belief was that Rortvedt’s $1.25 million salary would play a role in none of the 29 other Major League organizations claiming him, as they would have had to assume his current contract.
This tactic would have required the Dodgers to pay a premium for a catcher who is third on their organizational depth chart, but it’s a tradeoff they were more than willing to make. As convoluted as the process was, the front office has placed a high priority on having multiple quality backup catchers because of the success of Will Smith’s load management in 2025.
However, their plan has failed to work each time, and Chuckie Robinson is now third on the catcher depth chart.
Anthony Banda thanked Dodgers & fans
Banda first came to the Dodgers organization on May 17, 2024, after being acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians. Before getting to the Dodgers, Banda had spent time with 11 different organizations since he was drafted in 2012.
It wasn’t until he got to L.A. that the left-handed reliever finally found his footing at the MLB level. In his two seasons with the Dodgers, Banda posted a 3.14 ERA in 114.2 innings while helping the club win two World Series titles.
Following the trade, Banda shared a heartfelt message on his Instagram.
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