Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (oblique) could start a minor-league rehab assignment next Tuesday, according to manager Terry Francona. Stephenson is getting closer to making his 2025 debut with the Reds after suffering a left-oblique strain in mid-March in spring training. Barring a setback to his oblique when he resumes playing in games, the 28-year-old backstop could rejoin the big-league squad late next week. Stephenson is the Reds' starting catcher when healthy and should be stashed in all fantasy formats right now. Until he's activated from the injured list, Cincy will continue to roll with veteran Jose Trevino as their No. 1 catcher, with Austin Wynns backing him up. Last year in 138 games played, Stephenson hit a career-high 19 home runs and drove in a career-high 66 runs while slashing .258/.338/.444.

Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said that catcher Tyler Stephenson (oblique) was "revved up" after his MRI exam on Monday, which yielded favorable results. Stephenson will now be more aggressive in his recovery from a left-oblique injury that he suffered in spring training and caused him to open the 2025 regular season on the injured list. The 28-year-old backstop will need to eventually go on at least a short minor-league rehab assignment, but barring a setback with his oblique injury, he could be able to make his season debut before April ends. When he's healthy, Stephenson will be Cincy's primary catcher, and he has appeal as a No. 1 catcher in all fantasy leagues. Until he returns, the Reds will continue to move forward with veteran Jose Trevino as their starter behind the dish with Austin Wynns backing him up.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (oblique) will be forced to open the 2025 regular season on the injured list after being diagnosed with a low-grade oblique strain. The Reds weren't too worried about Stephenson's injury when he initially was announced as dealing with a sore back, and although it shouldn't be a long-term injury, it will keep the 28-year-old from playing on Opening Day and in early April. He will now miss the rest of spring training and will hope that he doesn't suffer any setbacks when he eventually starts to ramp up baseball activities. It means that Jose Trevino will now open the year as Cincy's starting catcher, with Austin Wynns likely backing him up. After a bounce-back 2024 season in which the former first-rounder hit .258 with career-highs in homers (19) and RBI (66), Stephenson will now fall outside the top-10 fantasy catchers due to his oblique injury.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (back) is going for an MRI exam after being scratched from Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Texas Rangers due to lower-back pain, according to manager Terry Francona. The Reds initially said that they thought Stephenson "was going to be fine." The starting backstop has hit .227 with a home run and four walks in 22 official spring training at-bats this year. If his injury turns out to be serious enough to land him on the injured list to open the regular season, Jose Trevino would be forced into regular playing time behind the dish in Cincy. Fantasy managers will want to check back later for Stephenson's MRI results, but for now he should be considered day-to-day. The 28-year-old had a resurgent 2024 campaign with career-highs in homers (19), RBI (66) and runs (69) and should be considered a top-10 fantasy catcher as long as his back injury isn't anything serious.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (back) was scratched from Wednesday's lineup due to "lower-to-middle back pain." Manager Terry Francona noted that Stephenson will be "fine" and that it did not make sense to have him suit up. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as the team may opt to keep him sidelined for a few days. However, it appears this injury is not serious and will not put him in danger of missing Opening Day. While the 28-year-old kept out of action, Jose Trevino should see most of the catching duties. Last season, Stephenson enjoyed a career-season as he went deep 19 times and held a .258/.338/.444 line. He generated a strong 43.9 percent hard-hit rate with a 90.2 mph average exit velocity. He should be viewed as a solid low-end No. 1 catcher in all formats playing in a favorable hitting park.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson greeted Mitch Keller with a solo home run in the first inning of Friday's 8-3 win over the Pirates, then collected two more hits off of the righty before Keller departed in the bottom of the fourth, ultimately being charged with eight earned runs in the outing. The other two hits were a single and a double, as Stephenson finished 3-for-5 with five RBI and three runs scored in the contest. It was the 28-year-old's third multi-hit game in his last four, and overall he's been a Top-10 option at catcher for fantasy. The former first-round draft pick owns a .265-19-64-67-1 line on the season with a .347 wOBA and 117 wRC+.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson recorded a multi-hit game on Friday night, including a solo shot in the first inning, in the Reds' 6-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 436 foot bomb off Pirates starter Bailey Falter was Stephenson's 17th on the season. The 28-year-old has been on a bit of a hot streak in August, hitting for a .943 OPS and smashing six of his 17 homers during the month. Stephenson looks to be a solid under-the-radar candidate for fantasy managers to add for their playoff push, especially with Stephenson's current hot streak in August providing a ton of value. He should continue to get plenty of playing time for the Reds as they work to find their way back into the playoff race. Look for Stephenson to be back in the lineup tomorrow when the Reds face off against Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jake Woodford.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is taking the day off on Thursday in the series opener against the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Luke Maile is doing the catching for left-hander Nick Lodolo and will bat ninth against Pirates rookie right-hander Paul Skenes. Despite the fact that Stephenson is currently in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak, the Reds will give the 28-year-old backstop a blow against one of the most dominant pitchers in the game. During his seven-game streak, Stephenson is hitting .310 (9-for-29) with a homer, three doubles and five RBI in 30 plate appearances. He should be back in action for the second game of the series on Friday in Pittsburgh. Maile is hitting only .162 (18-for-111) in backup duties with two homers and eight RBI. Avoid him as a DFS sleeper in a matchup against Skenes.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson will take a seat in Sunday's series finale and will cede catching duties to Luke Maile. Stephenson has held a strong .289/.347/.578 slash line with three home runs and seven RBI over his past 11 games. Throughout the entire campaign, Stephenson has posted a .248/.324/.457 line with 16 long balls. Under the hood, he boasts an above-average 10.2% barrel rate and a 44.5% hard-hit rate, which suggest his power surge should continue down the stretch. Maile has been limited by several injuries this summer and has gone a mere 5-for-36 over his past 14 games. DFS players should look to fade the 33-year-old catcher as he will face Kansas City Royal right-hander Brady Singer, who carries a 3.32 ERA into Sunday's game.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson went 2-for-4 with two home runs on Saturday afternoon. The backstop hit his first long ball of the day in the second frame, which was a solo shot. Then, later in the fourth, he hit a three-run blast which scored Spencer Steer and Ty France. The backstop carried a ten-game power drought into Saturday's match. In 92 games this summer, the 27-year-old has posted a .241/.322/.430 line with 12 long balls, 37 RBI, and a 30:58 BB:K ratio. With his strong 18.0% K rate and 44.5% hard-hit rate, Stephenson is worth starting in most standard leagues going forward.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson homered twice and knocked in five runs on Thursday in an 8-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Stephenson is hitting .248 with 10 home runs, 34 RBI, one stolen base and 36 runs scored in 266 plate appearances this season. This continues a hot streak for the veteran catcher, who is hitting .294 with four home runs, 10 RBI and seven runs scored in 36 July plate appearances. All four of those home runs have come in the last three games. Stephenson is a productive hitter at a premium position at this time,

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson put together a big day at the plate in Tuesday's victory versus the Colorado Rockies. The backstop went 3-for-5 on the evening with three runs, two RBI and a solo home run. The veteran needed a breakout game like this as he has hit .180 over the past month and Tuesday's homer is his only longball in his last 61 at-bats. Stephenson is now hitting .240 with seven home runs and 28 RBI over 229 at-bats. The veteran is no longer a must-roster catcher with his struggles and is best served as an option in two-catcher leagues, but managers should be able to find a hot-hitting catcher on the waiver wire that can be more intriguing.

The Cincinnati Reds activated catcher Tyler Stephenson (personal) from the family medical emergency list on Tuesday while designating catcher Austin Wynns for assignment. Stephenson was placed on the list on June 27 after the birth of his daughter. He is slashing .240/.317/.397 with six homers, 24 RBI, and 29 runs scored in 67 games. Wynns appeared in the June 29 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, doubling three times and scoring twice in five at-bats. Fantasy managers hope Stephenson can rebound after hitting .201/.303/.353 with a homer, six RBI, and 10 runs scored in June. He's not an elite option, but the 27-year-old is a solid fantasy backstop in leagues that require managers to start two catchers.

The Cincinnati Reds transferred catcher Tyler Stephenson to the family medical emergency list on Monday from the paternity list. Stephenson has already been away from the team for the last three games while on the paternity list, but now he could be away from an additional three to seven days. As long as he remains away from the club, the Reds will carry on with a combination of Luke Maile and Austin Wynns behind the plate in Cincinnati. The 27-year-old Stephenson has been a pretty average contributor for the Reds so far this year, slashing .240/.320/.397 with a .717 OPS, six long balls, 24 RBI and 29 runs scored in 204 at-bats. At the shallow catching position in fantasy, though, those numbers go a lot further for fantasy managers.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (undisclosed) is back behind the plate and is batting fifth for the Reds on Sunday against the visiting Boston Red Sox and right-hander Zack Kelly. Stephenson will return to action after missing the last two games with a minor undisclosed injury. The 27-year-old appeared as a pinch-hitter in the loss on Saturday, signaling that his return to the starting lineup was probably imminent. Now that Stephenson's injury is behind him, he will look to turn things around at the plate after going just 2-for-25 (.080) with no homers, a double, no RBI and six strikeouts in his last 10 games since June 8. The poor stretch has dropped his season line to .243/.322/.397 with six homers and 22 RBI. Fantasy managers may want to keep Stephenson benched until further notice.

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said on Friday that catcher Tyler Stephenson (undisclosed) is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is listed as day-to-day. Stephenson is not in the starting lineup on Friday against the visiting Boston Red Sox. Instead, Luke Maile will be the backstop and will bat ninth against Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford. The Reds called up minor-league catcher Austin Wynns for Friday's game for extra catching insurance with Stephenson banged up. Friday's game will be the second straight missed game for the 27-year-old Stephenson. We should have more information on what exactly is bothering the Reds' starting catcher, but for now, fantasy managers need to keep him out of their lineups. Stephenson is currently slashing .245/.324/.399 with six homers, 22 RBI and 27 runs scored for the Reds in 188 at-bats in 2024.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (hand) said he had X-rays on his right hand after Thursday's 8-4 win over the visiting division-rival Chicago Cubs, and they came back negative. Stephenson was hit by a pitch in the sixth inning of Thursday's contest but remained in the game and finished 2-for-2 with two singles, a walk and two runs scored to raise his season batting average to .267 and his OPS to .772. The 27-year-old backstop had precautionary X-rays on his hand, but it looks like he's in the clear. Stephenson should be fine to play on Friday in the second game of the series against the Cubbies, but fantasy managers may want to double-check Cincy's lineup. The former 11th overall pick in 2015 out of a Georgia high school isn't flashy but is on pace to set a new career-high in homers if he can stay healthy.

As expected, Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand (hand) and catcher Tyler Stephenson (hand) are both back in the lineup on Friday against the visiting Baltimore Orioles and left-hander Cole Irvin. Encarnacion-Strand is at first base and batting fifth, while Stephenson is behind the plate and batting cleanup. Both Encarnacion-Strand and Stephenson hadn't played since being hit by pitches last weekend. After hitting 13 homers in 63 games in his rookie season last year, CES has been a disappointment so far in 2024, slashing .196/.222/.314 with two homers and 16 RBI in 25 games. Stephenson will return to a .231/.338/.415 slash line with three homers and 10 RBI. Neither Encarnacion-Strand nor Stephenson have faced Irvin in their careers.

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said he thinks both first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand (hand) and catcher Tyler Stephenson (hand) will be able to return on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles after the team's scheduled off day on Thursday. Both Encarnacion-Strand and Stephenson missed their fourth straight game on Wednesday in the series finale against the San Diego Padres after both players were hit by pitches last Saturday. Encarnacion-Strand was hit on his left hand, while Stephenson was hit on his right hand. Bell said the injured list isn't a consideration for either player. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Friday to see if both players are actually back in action for the Reds. The 24-year-old Encarnacion-Strand is the more appealing power option in fantasy, but he's off to a slow start with a .196/.222/.314 slash line and two homers so far in 2024.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (wrist) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the San Diego Padres. Stephenson will miss his third straight game due to a lingering wrist issue. The assumption is that Stephenson is day-to-day and should return later this week. It'll be Luke Maile handling the catching duties versus right-hander Yu Darvish on Tuesday.