This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon’s Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

You had to feel bad for Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson last week. In Friday’s return from the All-Star break, Stephenson suffered a broken right clavicle from a foul tip off the bat of Paul Goldschmidt. It was another unfortunate injury -- his third serious one this season -- and it once again sparked an outcry from the public that the Reds should consider moving Stephenson from catcher to another position.

“I know that’s the million-dollar question,” Stephenson said after that night’s game while sitting uncomfortably with his right arm in a sling.

Stephenson also missed 10 games with a concussion after an April 19 collision with Luke Voit of the Padres. On June 9 vs. Arizona, he fractured his right thumb after he was hit by another foul tip and missed 27 games.

The Reds are not currently considering a position change for Stephenson, who turns 26 next month and is still in the early years of his big league career.

“I think he's just going to keep getting better and better as a defensive catcher,” manager David Bell said. “That position is just so valuable. You can impact the game in so many ways. I'm really excited about Tyler's career in general, but also just Tyler as a catcher.”

Many fans are calling for Stephenson to be moved to first base, where Joey Votto is currently stationed through at least the 2023 season -- his final guaranteed year under contract.

But if Reds decision-makers do contemplate making a position change, there are some examples to work with of players who abandoned catching for a different position.

The numbers are courtesy of Andrew Simon from Statcast Research.

Joe Mauer
Mauer was primarily the Twins’ catcher from 2004-13 (ages 21-30) and the 2009 American League MVP. In nine full seasons from 2005-13, he averaged 4.8 WAR in 127 games. Because of injuries, namely one to his brain, he switched to first base in 2014. In five full seasons from 2014-18, averaged 2.1 WAR in 136 games.

Mauer isn’t a full apples-to-apples comparison, however. Obviously, his production and WAR figure went down. It also seems likely that it was because he was already in his 30s and declining as a hitter because of age and frequent injuries.

Carlos Santana
Perhaps the most direct comparison to Stephenson, Santana was primarily a catcher from 2010-13 (ages 24-26). In three full seasons from 2011-13, he averaged 4.1 WAR in 151 games. In eight full seasons after switching in 2014, he averaged 2.4 WAR in 142 games. (He averaged 3.4 WAR from 2016-19 before declining.)

Mike Napoli
Napoli spent at least about half his time at catcher from 2006-12 (ages 24-30). In those seven seasons, he averaged 2.6 WAR in 104 games. Napoli didn’t catch at all from 2013-17. In those five seasons, he averaged 1.6 WAR in 133 games.

Victor Martinez
He was primarily a catcher from 2002-10 (ages 23-31) and in seven full seasons from 2004-10, he averaged 3.4 WAR in 135 games. Martinez caught sparingly from 2011-18 (missed all of ‘12). In seven seasons, he averaged 1.1 WAR in 138 games.

While limited to 50 games this season, Stephenson was batting .319 with an .854 OPS, six home runs and 35 RBIs. He was leading all National League catchers in batting, slugging and RBIs and was second in OBP.

Simon noted this: WAR includes a positional adjustment, and because catcher is the hardest position to play, they get a significant positive adjustment. Meanwhile, the positional adjustment hurts DHs the most, followed by first base and left field.

Moving off catcher would likely diminish Stephenson’s statistical value to the team. On the other hand, moving him out from behind the plate could keep him on the field more and, perhaps, allow him to produce more if he remains free of injuries. There’s still no guarantee the WAR figure will balance out.

Could Stephenson’s 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame make him more susceptible to contact injuries, since there’s more body that can be hurt? It’s possible. But a catcher with his elite hitting ability, field leadership and defensive skills doesn’t come around too often. I agree with the Reds on this: Stephenson is too valued as a catcher to prematurely make a position switch now.