PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The Mets made another addition to their catching depth on Sunday, claiming World Series champion Ben Rortvedt off waivers from the Dodgers.
Los Angeles had designated Rortvedt for assignment last week amidst a 40-man roster crunch. He was with the Dodgers only briefly, appearing in 18 games for them down the stretch last season while starter Will Smith recovered from a hairline fracture in his right hand. Rortvedt started the Dodgers’ first four playoff games before Smith returned, going 3-for-7 in those opportunities, then rode the bench the rest of the postseason.
It was a notable improvement from Rortvedt’s time with Tampa Bay earlier in the season, when he hit just .152/.240/.205 over 44 games. The left-handed hitter owns a .549 OPS overall in 227 career Major League games, but a .740 mark at Triple-A.
Defensively, Statcast rates Rortvedt as a roughly average catcher with above-average framing skills.
In Mets camp, Rortvedt provides another layer of depth behind Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens, who are overwhelmingly likely to be the only two catchers on the Opening Day roster. The Mets have four other backstops already in camp, including defensive expert Hayden Senger and another former Dodger, Austin Barnes.