The Dodgers have sent Ben Rortvedt outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City, according to his transaction log on MLB.com. He was designated for assignment on Tuesday. The catcher has the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, but it’s hard to believe he would do so. Because he has less than five years of MLB service time, rejecting the assignment would mean forfeiting what’s left of his $1.25MM salary. On top of that, he would not be eligible to play in the postseason for any other club.

Rortvedt, 28, played a handful of games for the Twins in 2021, his first big league season. The following winter, the Twins sent him to the Yankees alongside Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa in exchange for Gary Sánchez and Gio Urshela. Rortvedt spent the first half of 2022 dealing with a knee injury and did not appear in the majors that year, but he went on to play 32 games for the Yankees in 2023. Across his first two MLB seasons, he flashed impressive skills behind the plate, but he did not hit enough to look like anything more than a third-string catcher. In 177 trips to the plate in 2021 and ’23, he slashed .146/.234/.255 with a 38 wRC+.

Before the 2024 season, the Yankees traded Rortvedt to the Rays in a three-team deal that brought Jon Berti from the Marlins to the Bronx. The backstop enjoyed something of a breakout campaign in Tampa Bay. It’s not that Rortvedt became a star, but there’s a significant difference between a .489 OPS/38 wRC+ and a .621 OPS/87 wRC+, especially for a capable defensive catcher. The player he became with the Rays looked like a regular major league contributor, not just minor league depth.

Unfortunately for Rortvedt, his offense dropped off again in 2025. He lost his spot on the Rays’ 40-man roster at the end of May, and he found himself in another three-team trade in July, this time headed to the Dodgers. Surprisingly, Rortvedt went on to play an important role for the eventual World Series champs down the stretch. He became the team’s primary catcher in September after Will Smith injured his hand. He also caught four games for the L.A. in the early rounds of the playoffs.

The Dodgers and Rortvedt avoided arbitration early in the offseason, but shortly afterward, the Reds claimed him off waivers. The Dodgers would claim him back later in the winter, only to lose him to the Mets on yet another waiver claim. New York designated him for assignment before Opening Day and successfully sent him outright to Triple-A. A few months later, L.A. once again traded for Rortvedt on deadline day. He might have a career .189/.275/.266 slash line, but the two-time reigning World Series winners clearly like what he brings to the table.

The Dodgers technically have three catchers on their active roster: Smith, Dalton Rushing, and Hunter Feduccia. Yet, Rushing is still nursing a partial UCL tear in his right arm, so he’s only back with the team in a bench bat capacity. It’s not clear if he’ll be able to catch again in 2026. Feduccia owns an 87 wRC+ for the season – much better than Rortvedt’s -3 – and thus got to stick around when Smith returned from the IL earlier this week. So, Rortvedt will head back to Triple-A for now, where he joins Chadwick Tromp and Eliezer Alfonzo as catching depth with MLB experience. However, he’s likely the first to head back up if the Dodgers need another backstop.