Reds acquire catcher Austin Romine to fill in for Tyler Stephenson

Since Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson broke his clavicle in the first game back from the All-Star break, the Reds have had two rookie catchers on their depth chart.

On Tuesday, following the conclusion of the MLB trade deadline, the Reds announced they acquired an 11-year veteran at the position.

The Reds acquired catcher Austin Romine from the St. Louis Cardinals. Romine was recently designated for assignment, and he has played for both the Cardinals and the Los Angeles Angels this season.

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Romine is a career .236 hitter, and he has a .176 batting average in 37 big league plate appearances this season. Between 2013 and 2019, Romine was a regular on the New York Yankees, posting a .247 batting average during that span. Since then, he has bounced between five different organizations.

Romine, 33, fills an immediate need for the Reds. Stephenson is out until late September with a broken collarbone. Backup catcher Aramis Garcia is progressing slowly from a finger injury. Waiver claim Michael Papierski is hitting .176 in limited playing time during his rookie season, and rookie Mark Kolozsvary is hitting .177 in 17 at-bats.

Romine provides a veteran presence for an extremely inexperienced starting rotation, including Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft.