Believe it or not, Stephenson is already in his final year of arbitration eligibility with the Reds. He seemed to be putting it all together in 2024, but an oblique strain sent him to the injured list to begin the 2025 season and the backstop made another trip to the IL in August with a fractured left thumb. When healthy, Stephenson slashed .231/.316/.421 with 13 homers and 50 RBI across 342 regular-season plate appearances. Surprisingly, his strikeout rate shot up 11 percentage points to 33.9%, which cost him in terms of batting average. In the end, he was below average by wRC+ for the second time in three seasons. Stephenson has plus power for a catcher, but his progress has been set back by injuries over the years. Now 29 years old, Stephenson is facing a crossroads in the Cincinnati organization. He figures to remain the primary catcher to begin 2026, or at least the 1a to Jose Trevino's 1b. Read Past Outlooks