Can't Catch a Break: Reds Injury Woes at Catcher

From roster depth to depths of despair?

Down Goes Stephenson

Crap. And things were going so well! It has been confirmed that catcher Tyler Stephenson has an oblique strain and will start the year on the injured list.

Every team starts with injuries, but this one hurts. We are talking about our longest tenured Red here! Most projections had him hitting in the middle of the order and handling DH duties often.

At least we have the newly acquired Jose Trevino, right??

Down Goes Trevino

Crap squared! Trevino left Friday's game after taking a foul ball off the hand. Trevino was Cincinnati's return for Fernando Cruz in a trade with the Yankees this offseason. A timely start to Trevino's Reds career could very well be in jeopardy.

Here Comes....Wynns and Banfield?

Sounds like a law firm. Okay, maybe it wasn't fair to say we originally had depth before the two injuries, but the nifty subtitle was too good to pass up. The catching position for Cincinnati gets pretty bleak after the two main guys.

34 year old Austin Wynns spent last season in the Reds organization and posted a 7-19 (.368) with 4 doubles in seven MLB games. Will Banfield and Michael "I Can Skin A Buck, I Can Run A" Trautwein are also in camp as fellow non-roster invitees. Keep in mind that extra catchers in camp at this point in Spring Training are mostly extra bodies to keep wear off of starters and to handle the workload from all the pitchers ramping up for the season.

Potential Options

There are a few options on the free agent wire. Depending on the severity of both ailments, an external option may be imminent.

Here are some options in order of feasibility with what we currently know:

1) Yan Gomes - Yan would have the chance to become the best Yan in Cincinnati since Esteban Yan. Yes, he is going to turn 38 this season, and his stats show it. But when considering the seemingly short-term nature of the injuries to Stephenson and Trevino, this may be perfect for the Reds. Plus, he played for Terry Francona in Cleveland for 6 seasons from 2013-2018, and may accept a minor league assignment for that reason once the starters return. I bet this happens if Trevino goes to the IL.

2) James McCann - The Reds had interest in McCann before reaching a deal to grab Trevino. He is more than serviceable as a backup and should be affordable. It may be realistic that we would accept a minor league assignment once Stephenson and Trevino returned, but less likely than Gomes. This is not a necessity of course, but I do not see the Reds paying a catcher for a few weeks. This could be the move if one of the two starters is out long term.

3) Yasmani Grandal - What a reunion it would be after Grandal was drafted by the Reds in the first round of the 2010 draft. This would only make sense if perhaps both current Reds catchers end up with longer-term injury prognoses. Grandal has reportedly already turned down a $2.5M deal to join the Braves, and it is hard to see the Reds beating that unless the situation becomes dire.

Is Corky Miller available???