NY Mets open up a roster spot, immediately fill it with another former Yankees player

The Mets aren't going to get caught without catching to start the year.
Oct 26, 2025; Los Angeles, CA, USA;  Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Ben Rortvedt (47) during World Series workouts prior to game three against the Toronto Blue Jays at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Oct 26, 2025; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Ben Rortvedt (47) during World Series workouts prior to game three against the Toronto Blue Jays at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The New York Mets aren’t going to get caught without catching depth. Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens will be the tandem behind the plate to begin the year barring injury. In the meantime, New York continues to plug away with additions from the outside.

They’ve officially moved Dedniel Nunez to the 60-day IL. How’d they replace him? With the most predictable move possible: an ex-New York Yankees player.

Ben Rortvedt is getting used to the letters DFA. DFA’d three times this offseason, he has gone from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Cincinnati Reds, back to the Dodgers, and now to the Mets. He’ll join another ex-Dodgers backstop, Austin Barnes, in Mets spring training as the Amazins fortify their catching depth chart ahead of spring training action beginning on Saturday. He was claimed off waivers on Sunday.

Ben Rortvedt is the latest former Yankees player to join the Mets this offseason

Rortvedt famously came to the Yankees in the 2022 trade with the Minnesota Twins involving Gary Sanchez, Josh Donaldson, Gio Urshela, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. By miles the least experienced at the big league level, he has logged only 227 big league games since debuting in 2021.

It’s understandable why Rortvedt was a consideration for the Mets. They went into last year with Hayden Senger on the Opening Day roster. Understanding his limitations, adding Rortvedt is a no-lose addition to fill a roster spot temporarily.

A lifetime .190 hitter without minor league options, he’s a 28-year-old journeyman the Mets will carry with them as long as they need to or find a replacement. There’s a chance they can pass him through waivers later on as no team can realistically consider him as anything more than third-string insurance.

A strong defender in past seasons, we can expect Rortvedt to loiter in St. Lucie and maybe get in some extra playing time as Torrens heads to the WBC. It may end up being unnecessary for the Mets to carry Rortvedt and Barnes when the season begins with Senger and Kevin Parada expected to be the catcher duo in Syracuse.

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