Tyler Stephenson

Tyler Stephenson
Stephenson with the Cincinnati Reds in 2021
Cincinnati Reds – No. 37
Catcher
Born: (1996-08-16) August 16, 1996 (age 28) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
July 27, 2020, for the Cincinnati Reds
MLB statistics (through 2024 season)
Batting average	.267
Home runs	50
Runs batted in	208
Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
Cincinnati Reds (2020–present)

Tyler Robert Stephenson^[1] (born August 16, 1996) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Reds selected him in the first round, 11th overall, of the 2015 MLB Draft.

Born in Atlanta and raised in Kennesaw, Georgia, Stephenson played for the baseball team at Kennesaw Mountain High School, where he began calling pitches during his freshman season. The Reds drafted Stephenson out of high school, and he chose to forego his college baseball commitment to begin his professional career in their farm system. Stephenson suffered significant injuries during consecutive minor league seasons in 2016 and 2017, but he remained healthy the next two years and received praise from Southern League managers as a defensive catcher.

The upheavals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to MLB meant that Stephenson spent most of the 2020 season at an alternate training site rather than playing in Triple-A. He made his MLB debut that year, hitting a home run in his first major league plate appearance, but was used rarely, as the Reds had two catchers. When Curt Casali left the team prior to the 2021 season, Stephenson became Tucker Barnhart's backup catcher, and he also received significant time as a pinch hitter. Barnhart was traded after the 2021 season, allowing Stephenson to become the Reds' starting catcher in 2022.