RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesThe Los Angeles Dodgers don’t seem to be taking any chances with their catchers, bringing back to the squad a catcher for the second time in a day just before the trade deadline hit at 3 p.m. PT Monday.
The Dodgers are reacquiring Hunter Feduccia from the Tampa Bay Rays, reports Jorge Castillo of ESPN .
Jul 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Tampa Bay Rays catcher Hunter Feduccia (9) chases a foul ball against the Houston Astros in the second inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
The Dodgers, who are also getting right-handed pitcher Jacob Kmatz, are sending outfielder Jack Suwinski and international bonus pool money, Castillo added .
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Coincidentally, Feduccia was a Dodger just a year ago, when he was dealt to the Rays at the deadline for pitchers Paul Gervase and Adam Serwinowski and another catcher, Ben Rortvedt.
Rortvedt was the subject of another Dodgers deadline trade earlier on Monday.
Hunter Feduccia joins crowded catching corps
The Dodgers were in the market for a catcher or two due to injuries.
Starting catcher Will Smith has been sidelined since early June with neck pain that was later diagnosed as an inflamed disc.
He tried to play through it, but it’s been persistent, including forcing a setback in his recovery .
In the meantime, backup catcher Dalton Rushing has stepped into the starting role, but he, too, is injured.
After reporting some minor arm irritation that’s kept him out of the past couple of games, he was placed on the injured list Monday afternoon.
With both of the top two catchers out with injury — and to give Rushing some rest in Smith’s absence — Chuckie Robinson and Eliézer Alfonzo have stepped in and caught some games.
It seems, however, that the Dodgers weren’t willing to risk playing the rest of the season with them if, in a worst-case scenario, both Rushing and Smith continued to be sidelined for significant time.
Who else did the Dodgers add at the trade deadline?
Before the Dodgers added Feduccia, they’d reunited with another catcher, Rortvedt.
Rortvedt, who’d been playing in the New York Mets’ minor league system, is joining the Dodgers for a third time .
Given that both Feduccia and Rortvedt have experience with the team, it may be that the Dodgers are looking to limit how long their catchers would take to acclimate to the team ahead of a likely playoff run.
“That adjustment period should be more abbreviated this time around,” The Athletic’ s Fabian Ardaya wrote of Rortvedt Monday morning.
Do you think Ben Rortvedt or Hunter Feduccia will make the playoff roster in 2026?
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