The LA Dodgers didn’t go into trade deadline day looking for another major addition to their big-league roster.

But on Monday morning, they did wind up reacquiring a notably familiar face.

For the second deadline in a row, the team traded for catcher Ben Rortvedt, as The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported –– bringing back the veteran journeyman backstop who became an unexpected playoff hero for the team last year.

The Dodgers added a familiar face at the trade deadline, re-acquiring Ben Rortvedt in a trade with the New York MetsGetty Images

The Dodgers added a familiar face at the trade deadline, re-acquiring Ben Rortvedt in a trade with the New York MetsLos Angeles Times via Getty Imag

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At the start of the 2025 playoffs, Rortvedt was the Dodgers’ starting catcher for each of their first four games, filling in for Will Smith while he recovered from a hand fracture while shepherding the Dodgers’ pitching staff to four-consecutive victories.

The Dodgers lost Rortvedt this winter in a roster crunch, designating him for assignment as they went into the year with a catching tandem of Smith and Dalton Rushing.

However, the need for added catching depth has arisen again this summer, with Smith currently making a slow recovery from a neck injury that has sidelined him since the start of June, and Rushing suddenly battling an arm/elbow problem that forced him to miss Sunday’s game.

In exchange for Rortvedt, who had been on the Mets’ triple-A roster, the Dodgers sent recently DFA’d pitcher Chayce McDermott back to New York.

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