Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson hit his second homer in as many games in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Angels. Saturday's home run came in the bottom of the first inning and with the bases loaded, part of a five-run inning for the Reds, a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the game. The grand slam was Stephenson's lone hit of the game though, going 1-for-4 with four RBI and a run scored. The 27-year-old is hitting just .213 on the season, but likes the home cooking much more apparently, with a .320-2-8-4-0 line at home but .091-1-2-5-0 line on the road (.299 career BA at home vs .241 on the road). Stephenson sits just outside the top-12 catchers right now in season-long fantasy, but is probably a better DFS play at this point.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson will hit out of the cleanup spot for the first time this season on Friday against the Angels and left-hander Tyler Anderson. The backstop has hit all over the lineup this season with his most common spot in the lineup coming out of the nine-hole. It's been a slow start for the 27-year-old at the dish this season following a down season in the 2023 campaign. Stephenson is hitting just .214 with one homer and a .640 OPS across his first 46 plate appearances of the campaign. The Reds enter a three-game set with the Angels sporting a 9-9 record, good for fourth place in the NL Central.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson will start Friday's game against the visiting New York Mets on the bench. Instead, Luke Maile will catch right-hander Hunter Greene and bat ninth against Mets left-hander Jose Quintana. Maile has never faced the veteran Quintana in his career and has one hit in his first nine plate appearances this year, but that one hit was a two-run home run. Still, Maile will be a poor choice with a low ceiling in DFS lineups on Friday. Stephenson, who disappointed in 2023 in his fourth year with the Reds, is also off to a slow start in 2024 with three hits in his first 16 plate appearances with five strikeouts in his first six games played.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is taking a seat for Saturday's contest against the Washington Nationals and left-hander Patrick Corbin. Stephenson went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Thursday's 8-2 Opening Day win but will give way to veteran Luke Maile, who will hit eighth Saturday. The fact the 27-year-old is sitting against a lefty following a day off is certainly interesting, considering starting pitcher Hunter Greene owns a 5.40 ERA when throwing to Maile. While his 5.29 mark with Stephenson isn't much better, Stephenson has the superior bat between the two despite a down 2023 season. Stephenson hit .243 with 13 home runs last season but still owns a career .271 average with a .763 OPS across 333 career appearances.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson has shown off some pop so far in Cactus League action, even if he hasn't been fantastic overall. The 27-year-old is just 3-for-18 (.167) in seven spring outings so far but two of those three knocks have gone for home runs. He has driven in six runs in the process and has scored three of his own across 20 trips to the plate. Stephenson has yet to show much home-run power in his 332 big-league games to this point as he has just 31 home runs in that time while his .147 isolated power is rather middling. ATC projects Stephenson to hit 12 home runs in the 2023 season after he swatted 13 in the 2023 campaign. Even after a down 2023 season, Stephenson still owns a .272 career average and a quality .764 OPS in the hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, making him an excellent No. 2 catcher in two-catcher leagues.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson got in on the action in Friday's 19-2 demolition of the St. Louis Cardinals, going 1-for-5 with a home run, two RBI, two runs scored and a strikeout. The Reds hit three home runs in the fourth inning and six total on the night in an absolute beatdown in St. Louis. Stephenson does have a career-high 13 home runs on the year, but overall it's been a somewhat disappointing year for the Reds backstop. He's been splitting time of late behind the dish in Cincinnati with Luke Maile and is now hitting .245 on the year with a .701 OPS in a career-high 140 games played. The Reds remain alive for the final wild-card spot in the National League with two games left to play, but they are 1.5 games back of the Miami Marlins for the final spot.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is not in the starting lineup Tuesday versus the Seattle Mariners and right-hander Bryce Miller. Stephenson started behind the plate in Monday's series opener and went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, one of which was of the RBI variety. That's now five hits, including the pair of doubles and a home run, along with a walk over Stephenson's last two games and eight trips to the plate. Despite the mini hot stretch, the 26-year-old's season has been on the disappointing side as he is hitting .254 with 11 home runs and a .722 OPS on the season, production that grades out 8% below the league average, as per his 92 wRC+. However, he could be a nice later-round target in fantasy drafts in 2024 considering his .278 average, 29 homers, and healthy .779 OPS across the first 314 games of his MLB career.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is not in the starting lineup for Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Los Angeles Angels and superstar Shohei Ohtani. The 27-year-old went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts on Tuesday night, adding to a tough season at the plate. Stephenson is hitting .242 with nine home runs and a .681 OPS across 112 games this season, numbers far inferior to his .319 average with six home runs and an .854 OPS across 50 games in 2022 before a season-ending clavicle injury suffered in June. Furthermore, he is hitting just .179 with a .606 OPS across 13 games in the month of August. Luke Maile is catching and hitting ninth Wednesday afternoon versus Ohtani.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is not in the starting lineup on Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Luke Maile will do the catching and bat in the nine-hole against Pirates right-hander Johan Oviedo. Since the All-Star break, Stephenson is hitting just .182 (10-for-55) with a home run, one double, two RBI, 14 strikeouts and six runs scored in 19 games (16 starts). It's been a pretty disappointing year in general for the 26-year-old backstop, as he's currently slashing .243/.328/.355 with eight home runs, 39 RBI and 47 runs scored in 358 at-bats. Still, Stephenson is worth rostering in single-catcher leagues given the weak nature of the position in fantasy.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is taking the day off on Tuesday against the visiting Miami Marlins. In his absence, Luke Maile is doing the catching and is hitting ninth against Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett. Stephenson's disappointing 2023 campaign continues, as he's now gone 10-for-52 (.192) with a homer, a double, two RBI, 12 strikeouts and six runs scored in 18 games (15 starts) since the All-Star break. The 26-year-old backstop is still an option in single-catcher leagues because of the lack of depth at the position, but he's batting a disappointing .245 (87-for-355) on the year with eight home runs, 14 doubles, a triple, 39 RBI and 47 runs scored in 104 total games.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is taking the day off on Monday with the team facing the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. With Stephenson starting on the bench, Luke Maile will do the catching and bat ninth against Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman. Stephenson has been a bit of a disappointment for fantasy managers in 2023, especially considering how well the Reds have played this year. The 26-year-old backstop is hitting .249/.332/.359 with only seven home runs, 37 RBI and 45 runs scored in 337 at-bats. He's been even worse in July, going 12-for-57 (.211) with a homer, two doubles, four RBI and 10 runs scored in 68 plate appearances over 21 games played. Hopefully, Stephenson can pick things up in August.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is getting a day of rest on Tuesday against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers. In his absence, Luke Maile will do the catching for rookie left-hander Andrew Abbott while batting ninth against Brewers right-hander Corbin Burnes. Fantasy managers should stay away from Maile in DFS action. Maile has essentially become Abbott's personal catcher. The 26-year-old Stephenson hasn't lived up to expectations for fantasy managers in 2023, hitting .252 (82-for-326) with seven home runs, 14 doubles, a triple, 37 RBI and 45 runs scored in 368 plate appearances and 94 games. He's been even worse so far in July, going 10-for-46 (.217) with a homer, two doubles, four RBI and 10 runs scored in 17 games.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson will take a day off on Friday with the team facing the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers to start a three-game series before next week's All-Star break. With Stephenson sitting, Luke Maile will handle the catching duties while batting in the nine-hole against Brewers right-hander Corbin Burnes. Stephenson has been hot at the plate of late, going 14-for-39 (.359) with two home runs, a double, five RBI and 10 runs scored in 12 games since June 21. He should be back in there to close out the first half of the season on Saturday and Sunday. On the year, the 26-year-old backstop is slashing .260/.343/.382 with seven home runs, 13 doubles, a triple, 37 RBI and 41 runs scored in 83 games in his fourth MLB campaign.

Cincinnati Reds catcher/designated hitter Tyler Stephenson is back in the starting lineup Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Kyle Gibson. Stephenson got a breather on Tuesday night but gets right back into action on Wednesday evening in Baltimore. The 26-year-old has had an underwhelming season at the plate after entering the campaign with increased expectations following a brief, yet excellent season at the dish in 2022. Stephenson is hitting .250 with five home runs and a .683 OPS across 75 appearances this season after hitting .319 with six homers and an .854 OPS across just 50 games last season. He'll hit eighth and catch right-hander Luke Weaver Wednesday night.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is out of the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. This appears to be a routine day off for Stephenson who has been struggling at the plate recently. Stephenson is hitting .105 (2-for-19) in his last five games, so hopefully a day off will help him get back on track. Jonathan India will serve as the designated hitter, while Curt Casali does the catching against right-hander Colin Rea on Saturday.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is getting the day off on Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers. This looks to just be a day off for the 26-year-old backstop, who's currently riding a 2-for-19 slump at the dish. Curt Casali is taking over behind the plate, Spencer Steer is covering first, and Jonathan India is serving as the Reds designated hitter against Colin Rea and the Brew Crew. Stephenson should be back out there for Sunday's series finale.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson went 3-for-5 with two RBI, a double, a run scored, and a strikeout in a 9-0 win over the Chicago Cubs on Friday. Stephenson and the Reds were all over Cubs ace Justin Steele in this one, tagging him for six runs (five earned). The 26-year-old backstop notched a pair of RBI singles and also hit a double in the blowout. Stephenson is slashing a solid .251/.338/.337 with two home runs and 21 RBI across 175 at-bats for the season. While his rate stats are well below his career marks (.285/.361/.425) you could do worse as your everyday fantasy catcher.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson, rookie shortstop Matt McLain and outfielder Henry Ramos are all out of the starting lineup on Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies. In their places, respectively, Luke Maile will do the catching and bat in the nine-hole, Jose Barrero will man the 6 and hit seventh, and Jake Fraley will start in left field and bat eighth against Rockies left-hander Austin Gomber. Stephenson has a been a bit cold at the plate so far in May, going 11-for-50 (.220) with two homers and five RBI in 14 games. McLain went 2-for-8 with a double and an RBI in his first two big-league games. Ramos is on the bench for the second straight day, but he's gone 5-for-15 with two doubles and an RBI in his last four starts, so he should be back in there soon.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is out of the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the San Diego Padres. Normally, Stephenson serves as the designated hitter or plays first base whenever he's not behind the plate. However, it appears the team is going to give Stephenson a rest day on Tuesday. The expectation is that he'll be back in the lineup for their next game. In the meantime, Henry Ramos will serve as the designated hitter and bat seventh versus righty Michael Wacha.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is getting the day off on Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies. This will be Stephenson's first day off of the year. The 26-year-old backstop is slashing a rock-solid .294/.400/.333 with eight RBI over 51 at-bats on the young season. Luke Maile is starting behind the plate and batting ninth for the Reds in Stephenson's place.