Bringing back this former Dodgers catcher would be a no-brainer after Reds DFA

At the end of the 2025 season, Ben Rortvedt looked like he could've solved a few problems for the Dodgers. He clearly worked well with LA's pitchers right out of the gate (he caught Yoshinobu Yamamoto's near-no-hitter, then Tyler Glasnow's no-hit seven innings) and actually came up in a few spots offensively as well. He did well enough that he was carried onto the postseason roster instead of Dalton Rushing, and he appeared in four games from the Wild Card into the NLDS.

Keeping Rortvedt, a far more obvious backup catcher than Rushing, would've allowed the Dodgers to dangle Rushing as trade bait for, say, Steven Kwan this offseason. But they remained insistent that they'll find a way to get their former No. 1 prospect regular at-bats in 2026.

Rortvedt was quietly placed on waivers in November and picked up by the Reds, who DFA'ed him Tuesday to make room for Eugenio Suárez, who they brought back on a one-year deal.

He'll be sent down the wire again, but if he returns to the Reds organization, he could reject a Triple-A assignment and elect free agency. If that happens, the Dodgers should waste no time getting him back on a minor-league deal.

Reds DFA former Dodgers catcher Ben Rortvedt in Eugenio Suárez roster crunch

After letting go of Rortvedt, the Dodgers were left with no real catching depth. They got backup-backup-backup catcher Chuckie Robinson back after they DFA'ed him, then the Braves outrighted him, but he has far less major league experience than Rortvedt and clearly didn't make the same impression on the team that Rortvedt did. Having him last year ended up being a saving grace after Will Smith got injured and Rushing followed not long after.

A lot would have to go right for the Dodgers to be able to re-sign him to a minor league deal, but they could also swing a cash trade with the Reds before another team can scoop him up.

And then, if the Dodgers do finally decide to let go of Rushing down the line, or he gets injured again, they have an obvious candidate to call up instead of having to frantically comb the waiver wire or swing a cheap trade for a different Quad-A catcher during the season.

Rortvedt isn't a star, but he doesn't need to be, even on a team as loaded as the Dodgers. He's just a safe insurance bet, and he's already proven that.