Tyler Stephenson is battling new challenges for him in 2023

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson hit a home run during his first at-bat in the big leagues. Between 2020 and 2021, Stephenson was the pinch-hitter that manager David Bell trusted to enter the game off the bench, stay calm and deliver season-changing hits.

Stephenson’s consistency was the first trait that he showed when he made it to the big leagues. But this season, particularly during a stretch in June, Stephenson wasn’t feeling like himself on the field.

“I was at a place early in the year, it was one of the tougher things mentally that I’ve had to go through,” Stephenson said. “It was the first time I’ve ever experienced this stuff. Failure. Especially at this level. There was…