Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson was scratched from his would-be start on Wednesday with what was initially characterized as lower back pain. When news later broke that he not only wasn’t back in the scheduled lineup the following day but was instead headed for an MRI, it became clear that he may well be more injured that initially feared.
As Gordon Wittenmyer of The Enquirer relayed on Friday morning, those fears were confirmed. Stephenson will begin the 2025 season on the injured list with a ‘low grade oblique strain,’ meaning the Reds will need to add a catcher to their 40-man roster to back up Jose Trevino.