ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Ben Rortvedt saw the writing on the wall toward the end of spring training that his time would soon be up with the Yankees. As long as Jose Trevino and Austin Wells stayed healthy, they were going to be the catchers the Yankees brought north, and with Rortvedt out of minor league options, he expected to be moved. But Rortvedt has taken his new opportunity and Dillon Maples Jersey run with it, at least in the early going. Former Yankees catcher Ben Rortvedt chest bumps Pete Fairbanks after the Rays 7-2 win over the Bombers. AP After being traded to the Rays as part of a three-way deal that landed the Yankees Jon Berti on the eve of Opening Day, Rortvedt has gotten off to a strong start. Through , in which he drew a pair of walks as a pinch-hitter, he is now batting .333 with a .828 OPS in 27 games as part of a catching tandem. Explore More I think theres a lot of components, Rortvedt said after catching up with many of his former teammates on Friday. I think its just me going through the struggles that I have, learning about myself as a player, failing, learning what player I want to be, what player I think I can be, and just trying to show up and be the same player every day, not chasing results. Really showing up and trying to contribute to the team. Rortvedts biggest impact as a Yankee was catching Gerrit Cole down the stretch last season on the way to the AL Cy Young award, with Jose Trevino injured. Beyond that, Rortvedt struggled to carve out a role for himself because of injuries and then struggling to hit when he was healthy. He was tough for us to lose and we didnt nece sarily want to lose him to the Rays, manager Aaron Boone said. He can really catch and throw. Hes gifted back there physically, the receiving part of things, obviously a great arm. I think hes worked really hard at his hitting, too. Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Excited that at least hes getting a real opportunity and hes healthy for the most part. That was a little bit of a struggle when he was in Minnesota and then even the first couple years with us, he was pretty banged up with different things. But hes talented. DJ LeMahieu (non-displaced foot fracture) faced live pitching Saturday for the first time since his rehab a signment lasted just one inning on April 23. The veteran infielder took at-bats against rehabbing right-hander JT Brubaker at the Yankees player development complex in Tampa and had a good day of work, according to Boone. DJ LeMahieu, taking batting practice against the Astros on Thursday, faced live pitching on Saturday for the first time since his rehab a signment on April 23. Getty Images I didnt see him hit, but I heard it went well, Boone said. The plan is for LeMahieu to take live batting practice again on Tuesday in Tampa, after which he could be ready to try a rehab a signment again. Tommy Kahnle (shoulder) on Saturday with Single-A Tampa, throwing a scorele s inning with one strikeout on 15 pitches. He then threw another 10 pitches in the bullpen, Boone said, adding that it went well. If Kahnle bounces back as expected, his next outing will come Tuesday with Double-A Somerset. He is expected to need at least three appearances with Somerset before being ready to join the Yankees. For just the second time this season, the struggling Gleyber Torres was out of the Yankees lineup Saturday. He was replaced by Oswaldo Cabrera at second base with Berti getting a second straight start at third base. Boone said he would have Torres back in the lineup on Sunday. Drew Smyly Jersey