The Los Angeles Dodgers have moved quickly to add Ben Rortvedt from the New York Mets ahead of Monday's trade deadline, giving themselves much-needed catching depth while both of their regular options are injured.
It is the kind of move that makes sense when a club is trying to steady itself for the stretch run. The Dodgers are not just looking for cover in the short term; they are trying to protect a position that has been stretched by injury and uncertainty.
Why the Dodgers needed him now
Rortvedt is a familiar name for the Dodgers. He was part of a three-team trade last year with the Tampa Bay Rays and Cincinnati Reds that sent Hunter Feduccia out, and he ended up filling a larger role after injuries hit Will Smith and Dalton Rushing.
That experience matters because the Dodgers already know what they are getting. Rortvedt handled 18 regular season games for LA last year, hitting.224 with one home run, four RBIs and an OPS of.636. He also appeared in four postseason games, going 3-for-7, which is a useful reminder that he was trusted when the games mattered most.
The timing of this latest move is just as important as the player himself. Earlier this month, Will Smith went out with an inflamed disc in his neck, and this weekend Dave Roberts said the catcher was not expected back for three or four weeks.
Roberts said, “I know Will Smith is anxious to get back out there,” but added, “there still has to be a progression and games played. I just don’t see it before three or four weeks.”
A familiar solution for a difficult spot
That makes Rortvedt the straightforward solution for now. The Dodgers valued his work with the pitching staff last season, and that sort of reliability becomes more important when a team is forced to patch together its catching situation on the fly.
There was also a procedural wrinkle in the background, with Chayce McDermott designated for assignment last week, but the key baseball point is simple: the Dodgers needed catching help and they got it before the deadline.
For a club that expects to be in the 2025 postseason run, this is less about a headline-grabbing splash and more about making sure one of the most demanding positions on the roster is covered. With injuries still limiting the group, Rortvedt gives the Dodgers a player they know and a position they can now manage with a little more confidence.
