Dodgers News: Ben Rortvedt Back in Dodgers’ Fold After Waiver Claim
After a brief stint off the roster, Rortvedt is back in Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES, CA—After being DFA’d earlier this week by the Cincinnati Reds to make room on their 40-man roster for the signing of veteran third baseman Eugenio Suárez, Ben Rortvedt is back in Dodger Blue after being claimed off waivers by Los Angeles.
For now, it is a reunion between both sides after the Dodgers opted to move on from Rortvedt during a roster crunch earlier in the offseason.
Rortvedt is the latest member of the DFA train, riding around Los Angeles with Mike Siani, rejoining the organization earlier this week, and the team also lost utility infielder Andy Ibáñez to the A’s earlier today.
After injuries to Dalton Rushing and Will Smith ended the 2025 regular season, Rortvedt finished the season as the Dodgers’ primary catcher, starting the first four games of the postseason.
Before the Dodgers’ decision to DFA Rortvedt, the team agreed to a contract to avoid arbitration, giving him a guaranteed $1.25 million salary for the 2026 season, regardless of where he played.
While the move is official on the Dodgers’ transaction page, the 40-man roster is at 41 players, meaning the team must make a corresponding move to keep Rortvedt on the roster.
The Dodgers’ DFA carousel over the winter may seem chaotic, but there’s a method to the madness. The plan was likely always to designate these players for assignment and hope they cleared waivers—after all, $1.2 million to play in OKC is better than giving it up and hitting free agency, especially when no other team was willing to take on their contracts.
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