GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Reds thought they had the makings of one of baseball's strongest catching duos this season. But that situation quickly became imperiled on Friday.
First, the lineup was dealt a blow when the club learned that primary catcher Tyler Stephenson will be sidelined for multiple weeks with a low grade internal left oblique strain.
Then during a split-squad game vs. the Diamondbacks, second catcher Jose Trevino was hit on the right hand by a foul tip and was forced to exit. X-rays were inconclusive and he will be re-evaluated Saturday morning.
“They did say by the time he left the ballpark, he was feeling better though," manager Terry Francona said. "The swelling had already gone down. We’ll certainly hold our breath here a little bit, but I think we should know something pretty soon.”
Francona did not know how long Stephenson would be out, but acknowledged a return was unlikely by Opening Day.
“That’s a stretch," Francona said.
Stephenson was initially scratched from Wednesday's game vs. the Rangers, then went in for an MRI on Thursday.
“It was a couple of days ago, the day I was supposed to DH. I worked out and everything felt fine. Then the first couple of swings in the cage, I just kind of felt a little something," Stephenson explained. "I’m kind of glad I stopped when I did. But I feel good. I’m not in a bunch of pain. I’m definitely optimistic. It sucks that I maybe will miss the first few weeks.
"On the bright side, it’s kind of a best-case scenario. It’s not something that I’m super worried about. I had an oblique [injury] way back in high school and that was much worse than this.”
Stephenson added that his previous oblique issue was not in the same spot.
Injuries limited Stephenson to 50 games in 2022, but he was able to avoid the injured list in each of the past two seasons. The 28-year-old is coming off his most productive overall season, both offensively and defensively. In 2024, he batted .258 with a .782 OPS, 19 home runs and 66 RBIs in 138 games while also catching more than 1,000 innings for the first time in his career.
There was no known target date for when Stephenson could return.
“We really need to stay away from timetables, because we don’t know," Francona said. "I do think we know it’s a good thing he came to the trainer, and they went and got him looked at."
In the meantime, Stephenson will spend his time rehabbing and working out until he is cleared to begin taking swings again.
"You want to try and be back as soon as possible, but also you don’t want to rush it because it’s something that can linger. We’ll find that line," he said. "I feel good, so I’m hoping everything progresses how it is.”
Without Stephenson, the bulk of the catching duties were expected to fall to Trevino, who was acquired from the Yankees on Dec. 20 for reliever Fernando Cruz. Trevino played a career-high 115 games in 2022, when he was an All-Star, Gold Glove and Platinum Glove winner for New York.
“It’s funny because you want your catcher to almost be indispensable. You don’t want to find out the hard way that he is," Francona said. "This winter, we were racking our brains at the Winter Meetings. I know Nick [Krall] and Brad [Meador] were grinding. We were trying to find a catcher where if something happens to [Stephenson], you’ve got a guy that can catch multiple days. That’s not easy to do. That’s why when they made the trade for Trevino. That’s where this pays off.”
While Trevino brings big defensive bona fides and works well with pitchers, he will not likely provide production at the same level as Stephenson.
Trevino, 32, is a .236 career hitter with a .637 OPS and 32 home runs over seven seasons with the Rangers and Yankees.
To back up Trevino, the Reds have an option in non-roster invitee Austin Wynns. Although the 34-year-old spent most of 2024 at Triple-A Louisville, he was 7-for-19 (.368) with four doubles in seven big league games for Cincinnati.
Wynns has played parts of six big league seasons for five clubs, but he has never made an Opening Day roster.
"You can’t have two Tyler Stephensons. That doesn’t work," Francona said. "Our job is to manage it the best we can, and I think we will. I think the guys will be fine. We’ll get him healthy and get him going again.”
If Trevino is out, the Reds also have non-roster catchers Will Banfield and Michael Trautwein. They could also scan the market for veteran catchers to hold down the position until Stephenson and Trevino are ready.
Senior Reporter Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from 2001-05.