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Reds Designate Garrett Hampson For Assignment

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The Reds announced this morning that they have designated infielder Garrett Hampson for assignment. Outfielder Rece Hinds was recalled to the major league roster in a corresponding move. In addition, the Reds have pulled third baseman Jeimer Candelario off of his rehab assignment.

Hampson, 30, signed a big league deal with the Reds last month. He worked with Cincinnati in a bench role and appeared in just nine games across his Reds tenure, going 3-for-18 with a double, a walk, and six strikeouts while splitting time between second base, third base, shortstop, left field, and center field. That versatility is what’s kept Hampson on big league rosters for parts of eight MLB seasons. A third-round pick by the Rockies back in 2016, he made his big league debut in 2018 and hit well in a brief cup of coffee. It was a strong enough debut to put him on the map as a top-100 prospect headed into the 2019 season, but his offensive numbers did not hold up over a larger sample size. Hampson ultimately hit just .233/.292/.369 from 2019 to 2022 as a member of the Rockies before he was non-tendered during the 2022-23 offseason.

He signed with the Marlins after getting cut loose in Colorado and went on to enjoy the best season of his career in Miami. In 98 games with the club that year, Hampson thrived in a part-time role as he slashed a roughly league average .276/.349/.380 in 252 trips to the plate while playing all around the diamond in his typical utility capacity. That performance was enough to get him a big league deal from the Royals last year, but he’s unfortunately regressed to his previous light-hitting form since leaving Miami. In 140 games for Kansas City, Arizona, and Cincinnati the past two years, he’s hit just .218/.282/.280 and struck out at a 25.8% clip. The Reds will now have one week to either trade Hampson or try to pass him through outright waivers, though he has enough service time to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Hampson’s departure makes room on the roster for Hinds, who made his MLB debut last year. He made a big first impression last year when he crushed five homers in just 24 games, but has hit just .158/.200/.526 (86 wRC+) this year in seven big league games with ten strikeouts in 20 plate appearances. Overall, he’s a career .231/.296/.662 (150 wRC+) hitter despite a massive 36.6% strikeout rate in the majors. Hinds’s huge power numbers could give the Reds a threatening bench bat for their outfield mix going forward if he can rein in his contact issues a bit more going forward.

Cincinnati also announced today that Candelario has been pulled off his rehab assignment. The 31-year-old has been on the injured list since late April due to a back injury but had appeared in 15 games for Triple-A Louisville since beginning a rehab assignment on June 5. It’s unclear exactly what caused the Reds  to pull Candelario off his rehab assignment, though it’s worth noting that he was approaching the 20-day limit for rehabbing position players that would’ve forced the club to activate him when reached. Candelario was hitting a brutal .113/.198/.213 across 91 plate appearances before being placed on the shelf.

Reds To Promote Chase Burns For MLB Debut

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The Reds are planning to select top pitching prospect Chase Burns from Triple-A Louisville, reports C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. He will start against the Yankees on Tuesday in his MLB debut.

Burns, 22, was the second overall pick in last year’s draft. He dominated for Wake Forest in his final year of college play, going 10-1 while striking out 191 batters across 100 innings and pitching to a 2.70 ERA. Coming into 2025, he was widely considered the top prospect in the Reds organization and a top 50 prospect in the game. If possible, the young right-hander has only improved his reputation over his first 13 professional starts. Armed with a fastball that hits triple-digit and one of the nastiest sliders in the minor leagues, Burns has put up a 1.77 ERA, a 36.8% strikeout rate, and a 6.85 strikeout-to-walk ratio between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. Although he has shot up through the system at a speed rarely seen, he has yet to ever look overmatched. So, after just two starts at Triple-A, he is already gearing up for his next challenge.

This might seem like an aggressive promotion, but Burns has done everything in his power to earn the opportunity. Meanwhile, the Reds are low on starting pitching depth. Wade Miley landed on the IL yesterday after just three appearances for Cincinnati. He joined Hunter Greene and Carson Spiers, as well as Rhett Lowder, Julian Aguiar, and Brandon Williamson, the three of whom have been out all season. To make matters worse, Nick Martinez has struggled badly in June, and Chase Petty, recalled earlier today, has taken the loss in all three games in which he’s appeared so far in his big league career. Thus, with an ailing big league rotation and Burns excelling in the minors, the Reds are going to give their top prospect a shot in the majors, less than a year after they drafted him. They will have to free up a space for Burns on the active and 40-man rosters prior to his debut.

Reds Place Wade Miley On IL With Flexor Strain

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The Reds announced today that left-hander Wade Miley has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left flexor strain, retroactive to June 17th. Right-hander Connor Phillips has been recalled to take his place on the active roster. Righty Chase Petty has also been added to the taxi squad. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported on the Phillips promotion earlier today. Miley was the scheduled starter for Saturday’s game but Wittenmyer reports that Petty will now be making that start.

The club has not yet provided any information about the severity of Miley’s injury but it’s an unnerving development. It’s always concerning when a pitcher’s throwing arm is injured and that’s especially true in this case. The 38-year-old Miley underwent Tommy John surgery in April of last year and only recently returned to the mound with seven minor league starts and three major league appearances.

Time will tell if this injury is significant or not, but either way, the Reds rotation will take another hit for at least a few weeks. They already have Hunter Greene, Rhett Lowder and a few other arms on the IL and now Miley joins them.

Miley’s injury leaves Andrew Abbott, Nick Martinez, Brady Singer and Nick Lodolo in four rotation spots. It seems Phillips will provide an extra arm for today’s game but he may get optioned back down tomorrow to make way for Petty.

Petty, 22, is one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. The Reds have called him up twice this year to make spot starts without good results. He has allowed 13 earned runs in 5 1/3 big league innings thus far. He has spent the rest of the year pitching in Triple-A with a 2.76 earned run average. His 26.9% strikeout rate is quite good but his 11.4% walk rate is on the high side.

It’s unclear if Petty is going to stick in the rotation or if this is another spot start. Prospect Chase Burns is currently dominating Triple-A hitters through two starts at that level. He’s not on the 40-man roster but could perhaps get a call soon.

Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Imagn Images

Mariners Claim Jacob Hurtubise

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The Mariners announced that they have claimed outfielder Jacob Hurtubise off waivers from the Reds. The latter club designated him for assignment a few days ago. The M’s already had a 40-man vacancy. They announced that Hurtubise will report to Triple-A Tacoma, so no corresponding active roster move will be required.

Hurtubise, 27, has seen brief big league work in each of the past two seasons with Cincinnati. He’s totaled 83 major league plate appearances and batted .167/.291/.212 in that tiny sample. He’s been far better in Triple-A, where his speed, plate discipline and hit-over-power approach have been evident in parts of three seasons. Hurtubise has amassed 502 plate appearances with the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate in Louisville, slashing .270/.416/.337 with just three homers but a 30-for-34 showing in stolen base attempts.

That excellent speed has allowed Hurtubise to capably slot into all three outfield positions, despite lacking the prototypical arm strength needed to play right field. He’s a rangy, versatile defender who recorded a 45-steal season in the minors as recently as 2023. Hurtubise is in the second of three minor league option years.

The Mariners actually drafted Hurtubise in the 39th round back in 2019, but he opted to return to school and instead headed back to West Point for his senior year. As Baseball America points out in their scouting report on him, a rule change in 2020 allowed athletes at military academies to delay their service until after their playing careers had been completed. He signed with the Reds as an undrafted free agent — the 2020 draft was shortened to only five rounds — and has now, in rather circuitous fashion, landed with the first team that originally tried to draft him.

Seattle’s outfield depth has been stretched thin by injuries to Victor Robles and Luke Raley. Hurtubise is the latest in a growing line of outfield alternatives the M’s have explored since those injuries. Dominic Canzone is currently getting a look, but the Mariners have also tried Leody Taveras, Rhylan Thomas, Miles Mastrobuoni and others as they look to hold things down until either Raley/Robles can return or until additional reinforcements can be acquired (likely closer to the trade deadline).

Krall: Reds Have Discussed Elly De La Cruz Extension, “No Talks…Currently Happening”

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During an interview on “The Front Office” on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall stated that the team had reached out to Elly De La Cruz’s camp about a long-term extension.  The timing of these discussions wasn’t specified, though it can be assumed that the two sides met either this past offseason or even in the 2023-24 offseason following De La Cruz’s rookie year.

“We made a run at it and obviously didn’t get anything done,” Krall said.  “We’ve had those conversations and that’s not something that we’ve been able to obviously match up on.  So hopefully maybe there’s something there, but as of right now, there’s nothing, there’s no talks that are currently happening.”

De La Cruz is under team control through the 2029 season, so there isn’t any immediate need for the Reds to lock the star shortstop up.  Naturally there’s plenty of benefit to both extending De La Cruz beyond those controllable years, and even in gaining some cost certainty through his arbitration years.  EDLC could also gain another year of arbitration eligibility as a Super Two player, should he qualify under the next cutoff point in November.  We can safely assume that De La Cruz won’t be optioned to the minors this season, so he’ll finish 2025 with two years and 118 days of MLB service time — this happens to be the exact Super Two cutoff point in 2023, though that was one of the lower numbers of the last 15 years.

Gaining Super Two status would add millions to De La Cruz’s future earnings, and only add to what will already be a pricey endeavor for the Reds in extending their young star.  De La Cruz is also represented by the Boras Corporation, and most (though certainly not all) Scott Boras clients generally test free agency rather than forego the market to instead sign a long-term extension.

An unheralded international signing in 2018, De La Cruz started to turn heads as a potential future star during the 2021 minor league season, then quickly gathered attention as an elite five-tool prospect.  The hype has only continued through De La Cruz’s three Major League seasons, as he has hit .261/.341/.475 with 40 home runs and a league-best 87 stolen bases over 1001 plate appearances since Opening Day 2024.

Only eight players in the sport having a higher fWAR than De La Cruz’s 8.5 number in that span, even if public defensive metrics are mixed on his shortstop ability.  The Reds’ once-vaunted stockpile of infield prospects has been diminished by injuries and under-performance, but the 23-year-old De La Cruz has emerged as the clear jewel of the group, so he looks like a mainstay even if Cincinnati perhaps explores a shift to third base down the road.

De La Cruz’s modest beginnings could perhaps work in the Reds’ favor for an extension, as De La Cruz’s career earnings consist of just his $65K signing bonus in 2018 and his minimum MLB salaries of his first couple of seasons in the Show.  He has been able to cash in with some high-profile endorsement deals, but De La Cruz doesn’t quite have the financial security that other prospects (i.e. high draft picks with larger signing bonuses) achieved before they even reached the majors.

This could make De La Cruz a little more open to locking in a life-changing fortune sooner rather than later, even if Boras isn’t likely to make it easy for the Reds to get any kind of hometown discount.  EDLC will hit free agency entering his age-28 season, so he’ll have plenty of prime years remaining as he reaches the open market.  If he happens to reach Super Two eligibility and get his first arb year this coming winter, he’ll already lock in a hefty first-time arbitration salary for 2026 based on the counting numbers he has posted in his young career.  All things considered, it would seem like De La Cruz could safely bet on himself to stay healthy and keep earning big throughout his arb years, with or without a Super Two designation.

The other key question is whether or not a smaller market team like the Reds is willing to make the type of major investment it will take to extend De La Cruz.  Joey Votto’s ten-year, $225MM extension from the 2012 season is the largest contract in Cincinnati history, and any long-term extension for De La Cruz will naturally far surpass that 13-year-old deal.  Bobby Witt’s 11-year, $288.78MM extension with the Royals from February 2024 is a more recent comp for a young star shortstop, though given how mega-deals for Juan Soto (a Boras client) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have raised the bar on baseball salaries just within the last seven months, Boras will surely be looking at least top the $300MM threshold.

Kansas City’s deal with Witt is a prime example of how lower-spending teams can go all in on a young star they view as the face of the franchise, so it is possible the Reds may view De La Cruz in the same light.  Time will tell if De La Cruz and the Reds can find common ground on a deal, and if not, De La Cruz’s status as a forthcoming free agent (or potential trade chip) will become a major storyline in Cincinnati through the rest of the decade.

Reds Claim Ryan Vilade, Designate Jacob Hurtubise

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The Reds announced that infielder/outfielder Ryan Vilade has been claimed off waivers from the Cardinals, and Vilade was optioned to Triple-A.  To create roster space, Cincinnati designated outfielder Jacob Hurtubise for assignment.

St. Louis designated Vilade two days ago, after Vilade had appeared in seven games during a brief stint on the Cards’ roster.  Signed to a minor league contract in December, Vilade hit an impressive .280/.375/.476 over 192 plate appearances with Triple-A Memphis to earn a selection to the Cardinals’ active roster at the end of May, though he had only one hit in 15 PA on the Cards’ active roster.

To some extent, this has been the story of Vilade’s pro career, as he had a .141/.200/.188 slash line in 71 PA over 27 career games in the majors with the Rockies, Tigers, and Cardinals.  His career .272/.353/.406 slash in 2093 Triple-A appearances is much more impressive, yet it hasn’t stood out quite enough for Vilade to get much in the way of regular playing time in the Show, nor has he hit anywhere near well enough to capitalize on his small sample.

While Vilade has played only as an outfielder and in one single game as a first baseman in the majors, he has some experience at all four infield positions, including time as a first, second, and third baseman with Memphis this year.  This expanded defensive repertoire seems like a logical way for Vilade to improve his usefulness to big league teams, and it might help him earn some bench time on a Reds team that is somewhat unsettled in teams of everyday regulars.  In particular, Vilade’s right-handed bat might help him become a complement within a Reds outfield overloaded with left-handed hitters.

That crowded outfield may have factored into the limited playing time that Hurtubise received in his first two MLB seasons, though the left-handed hitter has batted only .167/.291/.212 over 83 PA in the bigs.  This season, he made the Reds’ Opening Day roster but didn’t last long before being optioned, and then briefly returned to the majors in May.

An undrafted free agent for the Reds in 2020 (the year of the pandemic-shortened five-round draft), Hurtubise reached Triple-A for the first time in 2023, but his numbers at Cincinnati’s top affiliate have gone steadily downward over the last three years.  He has hit just .144/.336/.186 in 133 PA in Louisville this season, making him an expendable piece on the Reds’ 40-man roster despite some tremendous speed and base-stealing ability (124 steals in 147 chances in his minor league career).  Hurtubise can’t reject an outright assignment, so he would remain in the Reds’ organization if he clears waivers.

Reds Acquire Brian Van Belle

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The Reds and Red Sox have each announced that right-hander Brian Van Belle has been traded to Cincinnati in exchange for cash considerations.  Boston designated Van Belle for assignment earlier this week, and he has now been assigned to Triple-A Louisville.

It has been a busy six days for Van Belle, who joined a big league roster for the first time on Monday when the Sox selected his contract from Triple-A.  Van Belle’s cup of coffee in Boston came and went without an official in-game appearance, so the 28-year-old is still awaiting his Major League debut.  Since Van Belle has experience as both a starter and a reliever, his first MLB game might well come with the Reds in a number of different roles if the club makes the call to Louisville.

Van Belle began his pro career with the Red Sox as an undrafted free agent in 2020, though he almost surely would’ve been selected if that year’s draft hadn’t been shortened to five rounds due to the pandemic.  Working his way up to Triple-A Worcester by the 2023 season, Van Belle has a 4.48 ERA, 21.7% strikeout rate, and 6.97% walk rate over 205 career innings at the Triple-A level.  He has started 29 of his 55 Triple-A games, working primarily as a reliever in 2024 and getting most of action as a starter in 2023 and 2025.

On paper, Van Belle might fit best in the majors as a multi-inning reliever, though Cincinnati will probably consider him for at least spot-start duty should a need arise within the rotation.  Ace Hunter Greene is on the 15-day injured list and seems likely to miss the rest of June while dealing with a groin strain and back/hip tightness, leaving the Reds a bit short on rotation depth now that Wade Miley has joined the starting five in Greene’s place.

Athletics Acquire Austin Wynns

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The A’s announced that they have picked up catcher Austin Wynns in a trade with the Reds, with cash considerations heading back to Cincinnati in return.  To clear roster space for Wynns, the Athletics designated right-hander Carlos Duran for assignment.

Wynns was designated for assignment two days ago, as he had become the odd man out of the Reds’ catching mix when Tyler Stephenson returned from a season-opening stint on the injured list.  Wynns signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati during the offseason, and that contract was selected on Opening Day as Wynns and Jose Trevino went on to handle the catching duties for the next five weeks while Stephenson recovered from an oblique strain.

Ironically, another oblique strain has now opened the door to Wynns’ latest opportunity.  Shea Langeliers was placed on the Athletics’ 10-day IL with a strained left oblique on Friday, leaving the West Sacramento team with just Jhonny Pereda (36 career MLB games) and Willie MacIver (seven career games) as the top catching options.  Tyler Soderstrom has some catching experience but has suited up behind the plate just once in the last two seasons, so it makes sense that the A’s preferred to just bring in a veteran backstop rather than disrupt Soderstrom’s routine as a first baseman/left fielder.

The Athletics will be the seventh different organization Wynns has been part of during his career, and he has seen action with five of those clubs at the MLB level over his seven seasons in the bigs.  A .241/.287/.354 hitter over 716 career plate appearances, Wynns has quietly been extremely productive over his limited action with the Reds, as he posted an eye-opening .390/.429/.661 slash line in 63 PA since Opening Day 2024.  This gives Wynns a unique distinction, as he has the best wRC+ (198) of any Reds player in the entire 156-year history of the franchise, minimum 60 plate appearances in a Cincinnati uniform.

It is probably safe to assume that the 34-year-old Wynns won’t continue this kind of production with the A’s, even notwithstanding Sutter Health Park’s hitter-friendly nature.  Still, Wynns will provide the Athletics with some help behind the plate for however long Langeliers will be on the IL.  Manager Mark Kotsay didn’t give reporters (including MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos) a specific timeline for Langeliers’ recovery, citing the “tricky” nature of oblique injuries.

Reds Designate Austin Wynns For Assignment

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The Reds have designated catcher Austin Wynns for assignment, the team announced Friday. His spot on the roster will go to first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who is being reinstated from the injured list.

Wynns, 34, has hit brilliantly in limited time with Cincinnati, slashing .390/.429/.661 in 63 plate appearances dating back to last season. That includes a .400/.442/.700 line in 43 plate appearances in 2025. That outrageous output is propped up by a .513 average on balls in play, however, and it belies a career slash line of .241/.287/.354 for the journeyman Wynns.

Because Wynns is out of options, the Reds couldn’t simply send him to the minors. He’d first need to pass through waivers, which may well be where he’s headed now that he’s been designated for assignment. He’s a career .274/.363/.401 hitter in parts of seven Triple-A seasons — solid Triple-A production for any catcher, particularly a third one on a team’s depth chart.

Third catcher has indeed been Wynns’ role since Tyler Stephenson returned from an oblique strain. Stephenson and Jose Trevino have logged nearly all the time at catcher since Stephenson made his season debut. Wynns hasn’t logged a single plate appearance in June and tallied only seven trips to the plate in May, despite being healthy and on the active roster that entire time.

The Reds will have five days to trade Wynns before he has to be placed on outright waivers, though they could start the waiver process (which takes 48 hours) at any point between now and then. If Wynns does pass through waivers unclaimed — which he’s done eight prior times in his career — he’ll have the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency.

Encarnacion-Strand, 25, has been out since mid-April with a back injury. The Reds acquired him alongside Spencer Steer three years ago in the trade that sent Tyler Mahle to Minnesota. At the time, Encarnacion-Strand’s stock was on the rise. The former fourth-round pick was ripping through Triple-A pitching and looked poised to make the jump to the big leagues. He did just that in 2023 and hit well as a rookie: .270/.327/.477, 13 homers in 241 plate appearances.

Since that time, wrist and back injuries have tanked Encarnacion-Strand’s output at the plate. He’s never been one to take many walks and has always been too much of a free swinger, and both of those flaws have been magnified as his power has dissipated amid health troubles. Over the past two seasons, “CES” has only 183 plate appearances in the majors, during which he’s batted .179/.208/.295.

In the absence of Encarnacion-Strand, Steer has been playing first base regularly. It’s possible the Reds will slide the versatile Steer across the diamond to make room for Encarnacion-Strand at first base. Neither player is a good defender at the hot corner, however, and Santiago Espinal is also in the mix at third base. The Reds could begin to move Steer all over the diamond again, as they’ve done in the past, if the goal is everyday at-bats for Encarnacion-Strand at first base. If not, Encarnacion-Strand could slide into a more limited role as a righty-swinging power bat off the bench.

MLBTR Podcast: Jarren Duran Rumors, Caglianone And Young Promoted, And Pitching Injuries

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • If the Diamondbacks can’t climb in the standings, what does their deadline look like? (48:45)
  • As a thought experiment, if the Orioles were willing to listen on Gunnar Henderson, what teams would even have the pieces to pull off a trade? (54:10)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images

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