The Los Angeles Dodgers designated left-handed reliever Anthony Banda for assignment on Friday as they moved to bring back backup catcher Ben Rortvedt on a waiver claim.
Banda, 32, played a key role in the Dodgers’ bullpen during two consecutive championship seasons, but he struggled in the last World Series with an 18.00 ERA in four appearances against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Banda was the victim of a roster crunch. The Dodgers were looking at six left-handed reliever options before he was designated.
Banda was 8-3 with a 3.14 ERA over 119 appearances (three starts) over the last two seasons in Los Angeles. In nine major league seasons, he is 15-9 with a 4.44 ERA in 209 appearances (nine starts).
Rortvedt, 28, was a late-season acquisition for the Dodgers last September when Will Smith went down with a broken hand. He was on the roster throughout the playoffs and started the first four games of the championship run.
The Dodgers signed Rortvedt to a guaranteed $1.25 million contract for the 2026 season before he was placed on waivers and claimed by the Cincinnati Reds. He was designated for assignment by the Reds earlier this week when Cincinnati signed Eugenio Suarez.
Rortvedt hit 3-for-7 with one RBI in the playoffs for Los Angeles. In 138 career games over four seasons with four different teams, he is a career .190 hitter with nine home runs and 52 RBIs.
