It was a tale of two seasons for both Cincinnati Reds catchers in 2025. On one hand, newcomer Jose Trevino had a blistering start to the season at the plate that earned him a nice three-year, $15 million extension. The rest of the season was not as pretty at the plate as he reverted to his usual offensive production.
As for Tyler Stephenson, he battled injuries throughout the season and ended up appearing in just 88 games.
With both players bringing in immense value on both sides of the field, the Reds have a multitude of ways to stagger their playing time throughout the 2026 season in order to bring out the best in them.
Figuring Out a Plan for the Reds Catchers in 2026
Jose Trevino’s Defensive Profile
Trevino’s specialty has always been defense, more specifically pitch framing. In 2025, he was once again strong on that front with 2 Framing Runs Above Average (71st percentile).
While this is a strength in his game, the Automatic Ball Strike System (ABS) will officially take effect for the 2026 season and beyond. This has some wondering how much catchers’ framing will matter. While it is true that it will limit some calls since batters can challenge, it will not be put into effect on every single pitch. This means that even with the ABS, framing will still be important, which Trevino is elite at.
Onto the other areas of defense, throwing and blocking. Trevino has always struggled with throwing out runners, as he does not have a particularly strong arm. As a result, his 2.00-second pop time is among the worst in the league (10th percentile), and his caught stealing above average is at -2 (29th percentile). While this is below league average, it is an improvement on his -5 mark from 2024.
The Jose Trevino Game#ATOBTTR pic.twitter.com/8T3A0XPLRZ
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) August 17, 2025
As for blocking, Trevino registered -3 Blocks Above Average (22nd percentile). His main strength remains his framing, as the other areas defensively are lackluster. However, his overall defense is still a net positive, and he has also shown the ability to lead a pitching staff well.
A catcher’s defensive value is difficult to measure and can also fluctuate year to year. But overall, Trevino’s defense is strong and will be a reliable part of his game for his remaining years in Cincinnati.
Trevino’s Offensive Profile
Moving on over to offense, Jose Trevino has simple and consistent offensive production year after year. His strengths are that he does not strike out or whiff very often, as he posted a 12.9 K% and 18.4 Whiff% in 2025, both among the best in the league. Other than that, he rounds out as a below league-average hitter.
However, positional value does play an effect here, as catchers are usually not known for providing much offense. It would be a luxury for a catcher to be at or above league average. For Trevino, his career 73 wRC+ is below average, sure, but just fine enough for a catcher. Paired with his defensive strength, any offensive production from him is a plus.
In past years, he has shown the ability to produce at around an 80 to 90 wRC+ level, but he certainly doesn’t need to replicate that in order to be successful.
Tyler Stephenson’s Defensive Profile
29-year-old Tyler Stephenson has been the Reds’ starting catcher for years now, which will continue to be the case in 2026. As if he’s the exact opposite of Trevino, Stephenson is taller and lankier (6’ 3”, 225 lb) compared to Trevino’s 5’ 9”, 215 lb stature. Their defensive skills are flipped, too, as Stephenson struggled with framing (-8 Framing Runs — 11th percentile) but was a wall behind the plate with 10 Blocks Above Average (95th percentile).
It was evident throughout the season when Stephenson would make some unbelievable blocks to save runs, while a good amount of balls scooted past Trevino.
As far as throwing out runners, the two are on par with each other. Stephenson’s 1.99 Pop Time is just 0.01 seconds better than Trevino’s, and places him in the 28th percentile league-wide. Both that and his 45th percentile in Caught Stealing Above Average are better than Trevino’s, but are still slightly below league average. It is safe to say that their opponents won’t be too afraid to take a chance at a stolen base, no matter the backstop.
Stephenson’s Offensive Profile
The offensive side of Stephenson’s game is intriguing, especially in 2025. His .737 OPS was not up to his usual standards. For just the second time in his career, his wRC+ fell below the league average with a 99 this past season. Due to injuries, it seemed like he was never able to settle down fully at the plate, which was evident in the meteoric rise in strikeouts:
2023: 26.1 K%
2024: 22.7 K%
2025: 33.9 K%
On the flip side, he was still able to draw walks at an impressive 10.8 BB% rate, which was a career high. This indicates that the high strikeout rate was a result of simply swinging and missing at strikes in the zone and not that he all of a sudden began chasing pitches out of it.
The numbers back this up, as he had a 30.6 Whiff% (14th percentile) while maintaining a solid 25.2 Chase% (67th percentile). This is an area of his game that he never truly struggled with at the big league level, and it shouldn’t shock anyone if he reverts to around league average in strikeout and whiff rates in 2026.
It is due to this offensive ability that Stephenson is one of the league’s most reliable catchers. His career 105 wRC+ is not only well above average for catchers, but above league average in general.
Tyler Stephenson ties it in the 9th.
Cincinnati erupts. pic.twitter.com/sgdrADPMRV
— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) September 25, 2025
How Should They Split Playing Time?
The physically demanding nature of the catcher position means the two Reds catchers will have to find a perfect balance between who plays when. It was established last season that Jose Trevino is Brady Singer’s personal catcher, which will continue to be the case for 2026. Other than that, what kinds of situations fit best?
Seeing as the two catchers are about even in terms of defensive abilities, maximizing their offense should be the primary focus. For a team like the Reds, who struggle in that department, they should look to squeeze every ounce of offense from their lineup however they can get it.
Looking at their splits, it is evident that Stephenson should get the starts when a left-hander is on the mound. In 2025, he slashed .246/.378/.443 for a fantastic 126 wRC+ against southpaws.
For Trevino, he struggles immensely against left-handers, as he slashed .189/.228/.311 for a dismal 41 wRC+. He fared better against same-handed opponents, as he posted a 75 wRC+ against right-handers in 2025. Neither is great, but he should definitely see as few left-handers as possible.
For Stephenson, he posted a 92 wRC+ against right-handers, but has shown the ability in the past to be well above average (133 wRC+ in 2024 vs. righties).
It is clear that the Reds should pick a traditional starter and backup catcher role, with Stephenson being the starter and Trevino being the backup. When Stephenson ever needs an off day, it would be smart to do so with a right-handed starter on the opposite side so that lefties won’t completely neutralize his bat.
Main Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
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