On Thursday, the New York Yankees made a roster move by placing starting catcher Jose Trevino on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain. In response, they called up catcher Ben Rortvedt from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Ben Rortvedt, aged 25, last played in the major leagues in 2021 while with the Minnesota team. In his career, he has accumulated 89 at-bats and holds a batting average of .169. On the other hand, Trevino, aged 30, has been batting .219 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in 30 games this season for the Yankees, his second year with the team. Over his entire career, Trevino maintains a batting average of .243.
Ben Rortvedt’s career
The frequently injured 25-year-old player had an impressive beginning to the season while playing in the minor-league system for the Yankees. Ben Rortvedt achieved an impressive slash line of .327/.421/.612 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in 14 games across Single-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. With Trevino out due to injury, there is a possibility that he may split playing time behind the plate with Kyle Higashioka.
Ben Rortvedt joined the Yankees before the 2022 season as part of the trade that brought Donaldson and Kiner-Falefa from the Twins. However, he has faced significant challenges in making his Yankees debut, primarily due to injuries. In the spring of 2022, he suffered an oblique injury, followed by arthroscopic knee surgery in April. Although he returned to action in August, he was subsequently sent down to the minors.
While he did receive a recall to the major league club in September, he was sent back down without making an appearance. This year, Ben Rortvedt had to undergo surgery in February to address an aneurysm near the posterior of his left shoulder, which was impacting his circulation. Consequently, he started the year on the injured list and was only recently activated, albeit being optioned to the minors once again.
Ben Rortvedt faces challenges
Despite the challenges and jokes surrounding Ben Rortvedt’s absence from the Yankees’ lineup, it appears that he will finally have the opportunity to make his debut for the team in the near future. He is expected to assume the backup role behind Kyle Higashioka, who had been serving as the backup to Trevino. Ben Rortvedt previously played 39 games in the major leagues with the Twins in 2021, where he recorded a batting average of .169, an on-base percentage of .229, and a slugging percentage of .281. Despite his limited offensive production, he demonstrated strong defensive skills, earning 5 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and displaying positive framing metrics.
Ben Rortvedt might make his Yankees debut this weekend catching either Jhony Brito or Luis Severino. The 25-year-old stated that it had been a long time coming. He mentioned that he had joined the organization through the Gary Sanchez trade with the Twins before spring training in 2022. He added that he had been through a lot and expressed his excitement. He mentioned that he had worked extremely hard to reach that point and to regain his health, so he was quite excited.
Ben Rortvedt missed all of last year’s training with the Yankees due to an oblique injury, and in May of that year, he had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to repair a partially torn meniscus. While Trevino was on the paternity list in September, he was called up to the big league club for a short while.
Then, Ben Rortvedt had to have surgery in the spring to repair a shoulder aneurysm, so he was out for the first few games of the season. His discolored left index finger signaled a problem with his blood flow, and the team soon found out why.
Ben Rortvedt mentioned that it was definitely much better than before the surgery. He honestly admitted that his finger was still somewhat lingering, but it had improved significantly. He clarified that the finger was not affecting him, but rather it was just stinging as it should for a catcher. The catcher and left-handed hitter was batting in 10 games after being promoted to Triple-A. He hit.324 with 3 HR and an OPS of 1.026 in 10 games.
After speaking with Tim Naehring, SWB’s vice president of baseball operations and a recent addition, Boone said the VP’s impression of Ben Rortvedt Rortvedt was “really good, actually.”
Boone commented that he considered him a truly natural catcher. He mentioned that Ben Rortvedt was an excellent framer and receiver, displaying athleticism and strong throwing ability. Boone acknowledged that the person had missed a significant amount of time with the team in recent seasons but believed that they were currently in a good physical state. He also noted that Ben Rortvedt had been performing well in their current playing situation. Boone expressed hope that the individual would join the team, integrate themselves further into the system, and contribute to the team’s catchers and pitchers.
Ben Rortvedt will be able to debunk the myth that he doesn’t exist because of the time he has missed due to injuries when he finally makes his debut, proving that he is, in fact, a genuine person.
Ben Rortvedt chuckled and acknowledged that he was aware of the rumors. He acknowledged that it was a joke and found it amusing. However, he expressed his primary excitement to be present and participate in playing baseball.
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