The Tampa Bay Rays acquired catcher Ben Rortvedt from the New York Yankees on Wednesday in a three-team deal that also included the Miami Marlins, according to a source. The Marlins landed prospect Shane Sasaki from the Rays and prospect John Cruz from the Yankees. Rortvedt, 26, was out of minor-league options and wasn't going to make New York's Opening Day roster as a third catcher, so he now moves to Tampa, where he's expected to be the backup to starter Rene Pinto. He is more of a defense-first catcher and has hit just .146/.234/.255 with five home runs and 11 RBI in 71 major-league games in two seasons with the Yankees and Minnesota Twins. Rortvedt will be off the fantasy radar in two-catcher and AL-only leagues unless Pinto gets hurt and misses time.
New York Yankees catcher Ben Rortvedt, who worked almost exclusively as right-hander Gerrit Cole's personal catcher last year when he won the American League Cy Young, is likely to either be traded or outrighted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to start the year with Jose Trevino and Austin Wells expected to split the playing time behind the dish in 2024. Rortvedt is considered a better defender than Wells, but Wells is the superior hitter, which has given him the apparent leg up on the competition. Rortvedt is out of minor-league options. Even more telling has been the fact that Cole has been working with Wells, and not Rortvedt, in spring training. The 26-year-old Rortvedt hit just .118/.241/.221 with two home runs in 79 plate appearances for the Yankees in 2023.
New York Yankees catcher Ben Rortvedt (shoulder) underwent surgery on Wednesday to address an aneurysm of the posterior artery near his left shoulder. Rortvedt will be held out of all baseball activities for at least a month and hopes to make his debut in pinstripes in 2023. The 25-year-old was part of the Gio Urshela-Gary Sanchez haul, which sent Rortvedt, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Josh Donaldson back to New York. As of now, that trade has not been too promising for the Yankees. The catcher hasn't played in the majors since 2021 with the Twins and has been obliterated by injuries. He managed to play in 48 games this past season and spent most of his time in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Rortvedt slashed .221/.307/.396 with a .703 OPS and six home runs. Once he returns, the Wisconsin native will likely be used as organizational depth.
Minnesota Twins catcher Ben Rortvedt was sent down to Triple-A St. Paul following the first game of Monday's doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox. The move was a corresponding one with the activation of Mitch Garver (groin) from the injured list. Rortvedt appeared in 31 games for the Twins, slashing .129/.197/.229 with just two homers in 70 at-bats. The 23-year-old doesn't hold much fantasy value- even in dynasty formats- as he projects as more of a backup catcher moving forward.
Minnesota Twins catcher Benjamin Rortvedt is behind the plate for the series opener against the Texas Rangers. Rortvedt will make his second career start as the backstop for the Twins, as manager Rocco Baldelli has deployed an even split through four games between the prospect and Mitch Garver. Garver's defense- 44th-percentile in pitch-framing- makes it hard to start him as an everyday option behind the plate, though his superior bat should grant him more starts than Rortvedt. The 23-year-old went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk in his major-league debut and will bat ninth against Rangers' right-hander Dane Dunning.
Benjamin Rortvedt Set To Make Debut After Being Called Up
Minnesota Twins catcher Benjamin Rortvedt will make his major league debut after being called up from the team's alternate site on Friday. A spot became available for Rortvedt when fellow prospect Ryan Jeffers was optioned to the minors, likely for more development with his bat after some struggles at the plate. Ranked the number-28 prospect by The Athletic's Aaron Gleeman, Rortvedt projects as more of a defensive-minded backup catcher- as evidenced by his .240 average and 16 homers in 291 career minor league games. He'll be behind the plate to catch Michael Pineda on Friday and bat ninth.
