Hunter

Feduccia

Feduccia’s homer off Shane Baz came in his 182nd plate appearance since he debuted with the Dodgers in 2024. He’s up to .278/.365/.370 in 65 plate appearances on the season, which is pretty encouraging in light of how much he struggled for the Rays last year (.151/.265/.209 in 102 plate appearances). He was taking a backseat to Nick Fortes initially this season, but he’s now getting the nod most of the time against right-handers.

Fortes is hitting .304/.360/.565 this spring, compared to .087/.222/.261 for Hunter Feduccia. It bodes well for Fortes being the Rays’ primary catcher to begin the year, even though Feduccia’s left-handedness would set up a natural platoon. Feduccia just hasn’t hit at all since being acquired from the Dodgers at the deadline last year.

Feduccia was really disappointing after being acquired from the Dodgers at last year’s deadline — he hit .151 with no homers in 102 plate appearances — but since the Rays declined to upgrade over the winter, he’s probably going to make the team alongside Nick Fortes. That Feduccia is a lefty could allow the Rays to go with a true platoon behind the plate, but it seems likely that Fortes will get the majority of the playing time initially.

Although he usually has the platoon advantage, the left-handed-hitting Feduccia is batting .145/.267/.194 in 75 plate appearances since being acquired by the Rays at the trade deadline. The Rays did a full reset behind the plate by trading Danny Jansen and acquiring Feduccia and Nick Fortes in July, but the position still seems like a question mark heading into next year. If they don’t upgrade, then Dominic Keegan could factor in as a potential alternative behind the plate.

This move was announced last night but is now official. Feduccia is hitting .290/.399/.467 in 79 games at Triple-A with nine home runs and 52 RBI. He could be an offensive counterpart to Nick Fortes if the Rays decide to move on from Matt Thaiss.

The Zack Littell trade between the Rays and Reds was announced as a two-team trade, but now it’s more like a three-tearm deal, with Adam Serwinowski, who went from Cincinnati to Tampa Bay, getting spun to the Dodgers along with fellow pitching prospect Paul Gervase and Rortvedt. The return suggests the Rays see Feduccia as a possible catcher of the future, something he was never going to be in L.A. He might remain in Triple-A for now with Nick Fortes just joining the team in a pairing with Matt Thaiss.

The Dodgers needed to free up a spot on their active roster for the return of Freddie Freeman (ankle) on Friday, so this move doesn’t come as a surprise. The 27-year-old backstop went hitless in two at-bats during his brief stay with the big league club this time around.

Feduccia is the corresponding transaction for Freddie Freeman’s placement on the injured list. The 27-year-old will be a bench bat while with the Dodgers, but could earn a start or two against left-handed pitching.

With Freddie Freeman healthy this spring, and both backstops Will Smith and Austin Barnes ready to go, there isn’t a spot for Feduccia on the Dodgers’ bench. The 27-year-old should get a look at some point as an emergency stopgap, but doesn’t offer much fantasy appeal.

Feduccia is heading back to Triple-A with the Dodgers activating Austin Barnes as the backup catcher. He was 4-for-12 (.333) with no home runs and one RBI in five games for Los Angeles.