The physical attrition of the catcher position makes positional depth a franchise's primary postseason bottleneck.
Because of the extreme physical demands of the position, sudden catcher injuries repeatedly derail depth charts, trade-deadline strategies, and playoff pitching rotations.
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To mitigate catcher depth shortages caused by multiple player injuries, the Red Sox traded away high-value farm prospects for Adley Rutschman.
A sudden wave of injuries to Texas's catcher depth chart forced the franchise to execute an immediate trade for Logan O'Hoppe to stabilize their roster.
A sudden meniscus tear suffered by All-Star catcher Shea Langeliers disrupted MLB contenders' trade deadline plans by removing a prime catching target from the market.
Consecutive injuries to starting and rookie catchers leave the championship-contending team highly vulnerable and dependent on emergency trades.