Mets cut ties with catcher who's played for Yankees, Dodgers before Opening Day

Sometimes, there's a slim path to playing time for catchers. Exceptions include when they play fantastic defense or can hit the ball a mile. 

Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens are expected to be the New York Mets starting and backup catchers, respectively, leaving no room for Ben Rortvedt. 

On Wednesday, the NL East club announced that Rortvedt, 28, was designated for assignment before Opening Day. He hit .167/.222/.208 with four hits in 27 trips to the plate during spring training. 

Technically, Rortvedt won a World Series ring with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025, recording eight plate appearances in the Wild Card Series and two in the NLDS. His career also includes a 32-game tenure with the New York Yankees in 2023. 

A crazy offseason for Rortvedt 

This offseason, Rortvedt went from the Dodgers to the Cincinnati Reds on a waiver claim. He returned to the Dodgers in February before finally landing with the Mets. 

Defense is Rortvedt's calling card, evident by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts' confidence in using him as a backup to Will Smith last season. 

If he ends up out of the organization entirely, Rortvedt should manage to secure a minor league contract somewhere. He owns a .549 OPS in 227 career games but has proven to offer value behind the plate. 

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