The Los Angeles Dodgers started their deadline activity by trading Hunter Feduccia to the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a three-team trade with the Cincinnati Reds that netted them Paul Gervase, Ben Rortvedt and Adam Serinowski.
It marked the end of Feduccia’s time with the only organization he’d known since being drafted by the Dodgers in the 12th round of the 2018 MLB Draft. The Louisiana native rose through the Dodgers’ farm system and made his MLB debut last season but largely was blocked on the depth chart by Will Smith and Dalton Rushing.
Ironically, Gervase, who was with the Rays before being traded, and Feduccia, had an immediate opportunity to face their respective former team after the trade. Though, Gervase only spent Friday on the Dodgers’ roster and didn’t appear in the series opener at George M. Steinbrenner Field before getting optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Meanwhile, Feduccia made two starts against the Dodgers and admitted to having extra motivation facing them, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times
“100%, yeah” he said. “Definitely a little chip on my shoulder, for sure. Looking forwarding to competing against these guys.”
Feduccia started at catcher for the Rays on Saturday and Sunday despite both games being early afternoon affairs in sweltering heat and humidity. The approach was in stark contrast to how the Dodgers utilize their catchers.
Feduccia went a combined 1-for-7 with two strikeouts over the weekend, helping guide the Rays pitching staff to a split of his two games behind the plate. Including a brief stint up with the Dodgers in April when Freddie Freeman went on the 10-day injured list, Feduccia has now played in four games at the Major League level this season.
He should receive more opportunities moving forward as a platoon option with newly-acquired Nick Fortes.
Dodgers valued Hunter Feduccia
Over recent years Feduccia was behind the likes of Austin Barnes and Diego Cartaya before Rushing’s rise to becoming the top Dodgers prospect. Although the 28-year-old was seemingly locked into a role as a third catching option for the Dodgers, his impact wasn’t lost on the organization.
“I do think we see his value,” manager Dave Roberts said during Spring Training. “Obviously with Will and Austin, I think he’s the third catcher in the organization. If something happens, then he’d be the guy that we’d look to.
“I think the bat translates. It’s a very easy-maintenance swing, low-maintenance swing. He really controls the strike zone. Certainly, with our two right-handed hitting catchers, to complement being on the left side of the box is a good thing.
“He’s starting to get more familiar with the other pitchers, sequencing and things like that. He’s an organizational guy, he’s done a lot of good stuff for us. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him up at some point in time.”
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