Stephenson was diagnosed with a concussion and will be placed on the 7-day injured list Wednesday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

Stephenson suffered the injury while tagging out Luke Voit in a collision at home plate during the opening frame of Tuesday's loss to the Padres, and he'll be out for at least a week while going through the concussion protocol. Aramis Garcia should step in as Cincinnati's primary backstop in the meantime, and the team will need to promote another catcher to serve as the backup.

Stephenson was removed from Tuesday's game against the Padres after a collision at home plate, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 25-year-old tagged out Luke Voit in a collision at the plate during the bottom of the first inning and was unable to remain in the contest. Stephenson is likely to be evaluated for a concussion and should be considered day-to-day until more information is available. Aramis Garcia, who was serving as the designated hitter Tuesday, will take over at catcher, so the Reds have lost the designated hitter for the rest of the game.

Stephenson will be on the bench for Friday's game against the Dodgers.

EDGE Analysis

Stephenson has handled a heavy workload behind the plate thus far this season, starting six of the first seven games prior to his day off Friday. He's gotten off to a good start offensively, homering twice and posting a .910 OPS in 25 plate appearances. Aramis Garcia will take over Friday, catching Vladimir Gutierrez.

Stephenson went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's loss to the Guardians.

EDGE Analysis

The catcher launched his second homer of the season in the eighth inning by connecting on a Nick Sandlin fastball, driving in Tyler Naquin. With former teammate Tucker Barnhart now with the Tigers, Stephenson has stepped in the everyday role at backstop. Now as the primary starter, Stephenson will look to build off of a strong 2021 campaign where he went yard 10 times, drove in 45 runs and produced a .286 batting average over 132 games.

Stephenson went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Sunday's win in Atlanta.

EDGE Analysis

Stephenson got himself on the board with a fifth-inning long ball off Sean Newcomb. The backstop is looking to build on his strong 2021 campaign, and he's off to a nice start -- he's batting .300 in the early going. Stephenson has hit fifth in the order in all three games he's started so far.

Stephenson will hit the bench Saturday against Atlanta.

EDGE Analysis

Stephenson has a clear role as the Reds' primary catcher this season with Tucker Barnhart now a Tiger, but, like any catcher, he'll get a fair amount of days off. He'll hit the bench after going 2-for-6 with three RBI in the first two games of the year, with Aramis Garcia taking over behind the plate.

Stephenson went 2-for-4 with two RBI in Friday's 7-6 loss to Atlanta.

EDGE Analysis

A two-run single in the sixth inning helped spark a Reds rally from a 7-1 deficit that ultimately fell short. Stephenson has three RBI through two games to begin his first season as the clear No. 1 catcher for Cincinnati.

Stephenson has batted fifth in the last three spring training games that he's played in, all games with what appears to be the Reds' most likely Opening Day starters. He's hitting .393/.514/.500 in 35 spring training plate appearances.

EDGE Analysis

In all three instances, Stephenson was hitting against right-handed starters, reinforcing the notion that he's more than a platoon starter, but the Reds' primary catching option, locked in behind Joey Votto.

Stephenson currently resides atop the Reds' depth chart at catcher after Cincinnati dealt Tucker Barnhart to the Tigers on Wednesday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

Though he lacks the defensive polish of Barnhart, a two-time Gold Glove winner, Stephenson should represent a significant upgrade offensively from the Reds' long-standing No. 1 backstop. Even while slotting second on the depth chart for most of last season, Stephenson still earned himself regular starts at Barnhart's expense against left-handed pitching, typically slotting into the heart of the lineup on those occasions. Overall, Stephenson slashed .286/.366/.431 with 10 home runs, 56 runs and 45 RBI, with his 111 wRC+ ranking fourth among the 15 catcher-eligible players that accrued at least 400 plate appearances. The Reds will presumably add another defensive-minded veteran catcher to the roster this offseason, but in the likely event he faces lesser competition than Barnhart and receives an uptick in playing time in 2022, the 25-year-old Stephenson could have a legitimate case for being viewed as a top-five fantasy option at the position.

Stephenson went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, two runs scored and three RBI in Sunday's 9-2 win over Washington.

EDGE Analysis

Stephenson put the Reds on the board with his two-run shot in the fifth inning and later brought home another run with a sacrifice fly. He's up to 10 homers and 44 RBI alongside a .798 OPS this season. Stephenson entered Sunday's game in a 29-game drought without a home run, going 16-for-69 (.232) during that span.