In this video, Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Chris Welsh breaks down a play from the Reds’ July 1, 2026 game against the Milwaukee Brewers that went to MLB replay review after a close safe/out call at home plate and questions about whether Tyler Stephenson illegally blocked the plate against Brewers runner Garrett Mitchell.

The play was reviewed for two separate reasons: whether Mitchell was ruled safe or out at home plate, and whether Stephenson illegally blocked access to the plate before receiving the baseball. After review, MLB officials ruled there was no violation of the catcher blocking rule and the original out call on Mitchell stood.

As Welsh explains in the breakdown, Stephenson’s positioning was legal because catchers are allowed to occupy the baseline in certain situations without automatically committing obstruction. More importantly, because Milwaukee had the infield drawn in and the bunt created what MLB defines as a “quickly developing play,” Stephenson had even more freedom to position himself while preparing to receive the throw.

It ended up being a textbook example of how MLB’s catcher blocking rules are applied in fast-moving situations, with the umpiring crew correctly enforcing the rule and Stephenson making a big defensive play for Cincinnati.