Rays acquire catcher Rortvedt from Yankees as part of 3-team deal

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays all but officially finalized their Opening Day roster on Wednesday afternoon, naming infield prospect Austin Shenton to the team and acquiring catcher Ben Rortvedt from the Yankees as part of a three-team deal with the Marlins.

Manager Kevin Cash confirmed Shenton’s spot on the roster prior to the club’s pre-Opening Day workout at Tropicana Field, and the Rays announced the trade Wednesday afternoon.

TRADE DETAILS
Rays get: C Ben Rortvedt
Marlins get: Minor League OF Shane Sasaki (from Rays), Minor League OF John Cruz (from Yankees)
Yankees get: INF Jon Berti

The Rays rounded out their pitching staff on Monday by slotting lefty Tyler Alexander in their rotation and right-hander Jacob Waguespack in the bullpen. But they didn’t settle their final two position player spots until Wednesday.

Just over two weeks after being optioned to Minor League camp, Shenton was officially named to the Rays’ 26-man roster to start the season. The club’s No. 8 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Shenton made the team as a left-handed-hitting reserve. Manager Kevin Cash informed Shenton he made the team after Tuesday’s exhibition at Tropicana Field, easing the nerves that had been building up for the 26-year-old since he returned to the big league clubhouse last week.

“I wasn’t nervous during the meeting because it was like the first five words out of his mouth, pretty much,” Shenton said. “The days leading up to it, yeah, it was hard to sit around the hotel room, staring up at the ceiling, just sweating.”

Shenton was sent to Minor League camp on March 11, but a spot on the bench opened up after injuries to outfielder Josh Lowe and infielder Jonathan Aranda. Shenton already had a spot on Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster, and the club felt he earned a look after tearing up the high Minors last season. Shenton slashed .304/.423/.584 with 29 homers and 99 RBIs in 134 games for Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham.

“Pretty exciting for him," Cash said. “You look at his offensive numbers in the Minor Leagues, you can probably stack them up with any Minor League player in baseball.”

Shenton immediately called his mother, Andrea, and father, Dana, to share the news. He’s expecting about 20 family members and friends in attendance on Thursday, with a handful of them making the long trek from his hometown of Bellingham, Wash., to The Trop. It wasn’t where they, or he, expected to be two weeks ago.

“I was about to get a lease in Durham, so I was like, thank goodness I procrastinated,” Shenton said. “If I didn’t, I would have been tied up for three months, and it would have been a mess. We’ll delay that, hopefully, for a bit.”

Tampa Bay is working to secure additional infield depth by acquiring infielder Niko Goodrum from Minnesota, according to sources. Goodrum exercised his upward mobility clause in his Minor League contract, which gives him the right to join a team interested in adding him to the 40-man roster. If the deal is finalized, Goodrum will be optioned to Triple-A Durham.

Rortvedt will be the club’s backup catcher behind René Pinto, who is expected to start the majority of Tampa Bay’s games. The Rays spent all of Spring Training without a second catcher on their 40-man roster, leaving non-roster invitee Alex Jackson as the top internal candidate. Jackson remained with the team through Wednesday’s workout, but he will be sent to Triple-A Durham.

“Disappointed for Alex. He had a good camp, kind of got the bat going here late, but our pitchers really enjoyed throwing to him,” Cash said. “Going to go start in Triple-A, and we'll see where it goes. Confident that we'll see him at some point.”

Rortvedt, 26, has played 71 games in the Majors for the Twins and Yankees since debuting on April 30, 2021. The remarkably muscular catcher has hit just .146 with a .489 OPS in the Majors and owns a .696 OPS in the Minors.

Rortvedt also grades out well defensively in terms of pitch-framing and throwing, as he’s thrown out 39% of base stealers in his Major League career, and he registered the league’s top arm strength last season, according to Statcast.

“It kind of complements our catching situation and, really, our overall lineup, being a lefty hitter,” Cash said. “We've got a couple of lefties down. To be able to plug him in against a big-split righty, confident he's coming from a really good organization, that he'll transition over here really well and we'll get him up to speed on the pitching staff quick.”

Veteran starter Jake Odorizzi did not make the Opening Day team after signing a Minor League contract late in camp. He is expected to pitch for Durham next Tuesday and will evaluate his situation on a start-by-start basis.