Stephenson is not in the starting lineup Sunday versus the Yankees.

EDGE Analysis

Stephenson will take a seat after he went 0-for-7 with three punchouts over the first two games of the series. Luke Maile will take over behind the plate and bat ninth in the series finale with New York.

Stephenson is out of the starting lineup against the Rockies on Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Stephenson will take a seat for Wednesday's battle against the Rockies after going 1-for-8 with two runs scored over the first two games of the series. Luke Maile will get the start behind the plate and bat ninth.

Stephenson is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Padres.

EDGE Analysis

Stephenson seems certain to get it going at some point, but he went 0-for-4 in Monday's series opener at San Diego and is batting just .265/.348/.324 with zero home runs through 29 games this season. Curt Casali is catching for the Reds on Tuesday and Henry Ramos is taking a turn in the designated hitter role.

Stephenson went 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Wednesday's win over the Rangers.

EDGE Analysis

Stephenson scored the first run in Wednesday's contest, doubling to lead off the second inning before coming around on a Henry Ramos triple. Stephenson, who served as Cincinnati's DH in the win, has gone 9-for-26 with three doubles in his last eight contests. The 26-year-old catcher has yet to homer this year, though he's still slashing .286/.381/.345 with 10 runs and 10 RBI through 97 plate appearances. While Stephenson is the Reds' primary catcher, he should continue to see a fair amount of time at DH and first base in an attempt to ensure he stays healthy following an injury-hampered 2022 campaign.

Stephenson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.

EDGE Analysis

Stephenson started the past six games and will step out of the lineup after he went 5-for-22 with a double, an RBI a run and 11 strikeouts during that span. Luke Maile will work behind the plate in Sunday's series finale at Pittsburgh.

Stephenson is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's contest against the Phillies.

EDGE Analysis

Stephenson will begin Sunday's series finale against Philadelphia on the bench with Luke Maile handling catching duties. The 26-year-old backstop has hit .294 with a strong .400 on-base percentage, but he is still looking for his first homer of the 2023 campaign.

Stephenson went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in Saturday's win over the Pirates.

EDGE Analysis

After a 1-for-4 showing in the opener, Stephenson followed up with two more hits Saturday, including his first extra-base knock of the season. He was in the cleanup spot against lefty Rich Hill just as he was Thursday against right-hander Mitch Keller. However, this time he was at first base, and he will continue to get starts at first occasionally even when Joey Votto (shoulder) returns. The Reds need Stephenson's bat in the lineup.

Stephenson is expected to catch about 65 games for the Reds this season, manager David Bell told Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer on Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

The plan is for Stephenson to catch four out of every 10 games and also make three starts at designated hitter and two at first base during that span. Bell said that the team already has every game planned out, although circumstances can obviously change. Just 65 games seems like an awfully low number for your starting catcher, but it should certainly give Stephenson a better shot to stay healthy after he was limited to just 50 contests in 2022. It's welcomed news for his fantasy outlook. The Reds also have Curt Casali, Luke Maile and Austin Romine, so they have other options at catcher. Stephenson's season ended last year with a fractured clavicle, but he enters camp without restrictions.

Reds manager David Bell said Friday that he wants Stephenson (collarbone) in the lineup for 140-150 games this season, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

That helps to explain why the Reds have stacked up an experienced cast of veteran backup catchers -- Curt Casali, Luke Maile, and Austin Romine -- over the course of the winter. Stephenson is expected to see a lot of time at DH and first base to aid in ensuring that he can handle a larger overall workload. The 26-year-old was limited to 50 games in 2022 due to a range of different ailments, but it was a broken collarbone that officially ended his season in August. He's averaged an .823 OPS with 15 home runs and 73 RBI for every 162 games played when healthy.

Stephenson (collarbone) announced Wednesday via his personal Twitter account that he's resumed taking batting practice.

EDGE Analysis

Stephenson's 2022 campaign came to an end in late July, when he suffered a broken right collarbone that later required surgery. The fact that he's swinging a bat again suggests he's nearing the finish line in his recovery from surgery, but he'll still need to complete a throwing program before he's fully cleared for catching duties in spring training. When healthy last season, Stephenson displayed the upside of a top-tier fantasy catcher, as he hit .319 with six home runs, 35 RBI and 24 runs in just 183 plate appearances.