Within the hours main as much as the Dodgers’ Sept. 10 recreation in opposition to the Colorado Rockies, Dodgers catcher Ben Rortvedt was taking a nap.
After the earlier week, it was a well-deserved relaxation.
A 28-year-old journeyman backstop who’d been traded from the Tampa Bay Rays to the Dodgers on the deadline, Rortvedt was referred to as up from the minors and thrust into emergency responsibility in the midst of a good division race. Within the span of three days from Sept. 3-5, each Will Smith and Dalton Dashing had been injured. And in Rortvedt’s first three begins with the Dodgers after that, he’d twice helped take a no-hitter into the ninth whereas providing surprising contributions along with his bat.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Rortvedt mentioned then. “However this will get you battle-tested.”
By Sept. 10, nonetheless, Rortvedt’s time within the majors seemed to be ticking. The earlier night time, Smith had returned to the lineup per week after taking a foul ball off his throwing hand. Dashing was additionally working his approach again from the injured checklist after fouling a ball off his leg 5 days earlier. And in what seemed to be considered one of his closing days on the Dodgers’ big-league roster, Rortvedt went for a pregame nap.
When he awakened, the whole lot had immediately modified.
And three weeks later, he’ll begin behind the plate for the Dodgers in Sport 1 of their Nationwide League Wild Card collection in opposition to the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night time.
Within the lead-up to that Sept. 10 recreation, Smith’s hand swelled up on him, forcing him to be scratched from the lineup and finally go for additional testing that exposed a fractured bone the place the staff initially believed there was solely a bruise.
Dashing, in the meantime, by no means discovered a groove along with his bat or his game-calling upon returning to the energetic roster a number of days later, enduring extra rookie rising pains that had plagued him all 12 months.
Rortvedt, however, simply stored on contributing, offering a gradual presence behind the plate for the pitching workers, improved protection on balls within the filth, and subtly helpful offense with a .224 batting common and three sacrifice bunts.
It was sufficient for supervisor Dave Roberts to successfully identify Rortvedt the staff’s main catcher in Smith’s absence, saying he would get the “lion’s share” of taking part in time if Smith wasn’t again for the beginning of the playoffs.
And although Smith was included on the Dodgers’ wild-card roster Tuesday, after making sufficient progress along with his hand to take reside at-bats throughout a staff exercise the night time earlier than, he nonetheless wasn’t able to resume full beginning duties. For this collection, he’ll doubtless be solely a pinch-hit choice off the bench.
Rortvedt, in the meantime, will get playoff begins not even he might have seen coming a month in the past.
“I’ve simply been actually grateful to get one other likelihood [in the majors],” Rortvedt mentioned final week. “And an opportunity like that is an incredible alternative.”
A former second-round draft choose of the Minnesota Twins popping out of highschool in Wisconsin in 2016, Rortvedt has struggled to carve out a constant major-league function in his nomadic skilled profession. He made his MLB debut in 2021 with theTwins however hit simply .169 over 39 video games. He was traded to the New York Yankees the next spring as a minor piece in a Josh Donaldson/Gary Sánchez deal, however spent most of that 12 months injured.
After one other disappointing 32-game stint in 2023 with the Yankees, when he hit .118, Rortvedt lastly discovered some success in 2024 following one other commerce to Tampa Bay. By mid-Could, he was hitting over .300 and incomes constant begins behind the plate. And although his numbers pale the remainder of the best way, he lastly appeared to be cementing his place on a big-league roster, coming into this season assured that some offseason swing tweaks would result in a fair stronger 12 months.
“I assumed I used to be in a extremely good house to have a very good 12 months,” Rortvedt mentioned.
As an alternative, all of it fell aside.
In 26 video games over the season’s first two months, Rortvedt had simply six hits in 63 at-bats. He was relegated to backup duties, then finally the minor leagues. In late Could, when he was designated for task, he traded emotional goodbyes along with his Rays teammates on his approach out of the clubhouse.
“The start of the 12 months was an enormous down for me,” he mentioned. “I messed round with somewhat too many issues [in my swing], and I by no means received snug popping out of spring coaching.”
On the commerce deadline, Rortvedt was on the transfer once more, getting roped right into a three-team take care of — coincidentally — the Dodgers and Reds that noticed Los Angeles successfully use him to exchange Hunter Feduccia as their third organizational catcher.
“As one door closes, one other opens,” Rortvedt mentioned. “And particularly with the group right here, with the fame, the job they do in all elements of the sport, I used to be extraordinarily grateful to be in this sort of place.”
That didn’t imply his transition over the past month was simple. After being thrust into beginning duties, Rortvedt spent most of his hours catching bullpens, speaking with the staff’s pitchers about their tendencies, and devouring movie of the workers every night time on his iPad to be taught each’s pitch combine.
“That’s actually, actually exhausting,” Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann mentioned. “However his persona and the best way he goes about issues exhibits that he cares. It’s evident in his work and his conferences and speaking to the fellows, and placing protection first when he’s presupposed to.”
Regardless of the whiplash nature of his return to the majors, Rortvedt discovered all-around success.
He has gone 11-for-49 on the plate with two doubles, a house run and an on-base-percentage above .300, posting a better OPS than Dashing on the 12 months. He has overseen a dominant run from the rotation, with Dodgers pitchers posting a 2.89 ERA within the 18 video games he has caught.
“For him being new to the staff, he’s simply had a extremely good power,” Dodgers Sport 1 starter Blake Snell mentioned. “He’s been very clutch for us offensively, very clutch for us defensively. I simply attribute it to how a lot he desires to catch and the way a lot he desires to be again there. His pleasure, it’s contagious. And it’s serving to the pitchers pitch good.”
The Dodgers, in fact, are nonetheless hoping to get Smith again to full-time beginning duties sooner or later this October. They nonetheless have Dashing as a long-term piece of their future puzzle.
However for now, Rortvedt has been the precise man on the proper time to assist the staff navigate its sudden catching issues. And Tuesday night time, he’ll get his first playoff begin.
“It’s been fairly loopy,” Rortvedt mentioned of his transient however impactful Dodgers tenure. “Nevertheless it’s positively been higher than sitting round.”
