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The Reds Could Have Starting Pitching To Trade This Offseason

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Not long ago, the Reds found themselves in possession of what looked to be a borderline surplus of infielders. Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Jonathan India, Noelvi Marte, Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand all had varying levels big league experience even before Cincinnati signed Jeimer Candelario to a three-year contract. A wide range of opinions on how to best divide the playing time persisted, but the Reds had the makings of a formidable collection of young bats.

Fast forward a few years, and none of that has really panned out. As MLBTR's Anthony Franco explored last month, that group has turned over a fair bit. Marte now patrols the outfield more than the infield. India is in Kansas City, traded last winter in exchange for right-hander Brady Singer. Candelario was released halfway through what has turned out to be a significant misstep of a signing. Encarnacion-Strand has been beset by injury. Steer has bounced all around the diamond, including in the outfield, but he's settled in more at first base. De La Cruz is entrenched at shortstop. McLain, who's struggled in the wake of 2024 shoulder surgery, remains an ongoing question mark. Top prospect Sal Stewart was recently promoted to the majors for his first look, giving them yet another high-upside infield piece to consider.

Even with that prior glut of infielders, the Reds felt compelled to trade for Ke'Bryan Hayes at this year's deadline and infielder/outfielder Gavin Lux last offseason. The overall offense in Cincinnati has been tepid, at best. The Reds, despite playing in perhaps the most homer-friendly park in the sport, rank 23rd in MLB with 146 home runs. They're 13th in runs scored, 16th in batting average and on-base percentage, and 21st in slugging percentage. The offense is ... fine. It's not a glaring deficiency, but it's also not going to turn any heads.

On the other side of the game, however, the Reds have enjoyed a more significant boom. Cincinnati's pitching staff is virtually teeming with enticing young options. Even with Nick Martinez and deadline pickup Zack Littell slated to become free agents, the Reds are deep in rotation arms. The aforementioned Singer is the priciest of the bunch heading into 2026, as he'll be due a raise on his $8.75MM salary, presumably pushing him past $12MM. The rest of the group is generally affordable, if not making at or very near the league minimum.

It's a fine line to walk, of course, as any "surplus" in baseball can dry out in a hurry, but this version of the Reds seems well positioned to flip some of that pitching talent in exchange for some offensive firepower when the offseason rolls around.

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Davey Johnson Passes Away

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Longtime Major League manager and infielder Davey Johnson passed away on Friday at age 82.  A four-time All-Star during his 13-year playing career, Johnson went on to manage five different teams over 17 seasons as a manager, capturing a World Series with the Mets in 1986.

Breaking into the majors with the Orioles in 1965, he emerged as Baltimore’s everyday second baseman the following year, and finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting.  Johnson also won his first World Series ring that same season, adding a second with the Orioles in 1970.  Such superstar teammates as Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, and Jim Palmer drew most of the headlines during this golden age of Orioles baseball, but Johnson provided excellent glovework (three Gold Gloves) and above-average offense while locking down the keystone.

Johnson delivered one more All-Star season with the Braves in 1973, hitting 43 home runs in what stood as the single-season record for a second baseman until Marcus Semien went yard 45 times with the 2021 Blue Jays.  Johnson’s production then declined in 1974, and he spent the 1975-76 playing in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants.  It was something of a tumultuous two-year run that saw Johnson fight through some injuries to ultimately help the Giants reach the 1976 Japan Series, and Johnson then returned to the majors for his final two MLB seasons with the Phillies and Cubs in 1977-78.

Regarded as a future manager even early in his career, Johnson indeed turned to minor league managing almost immediately after retiring as a player, and started managing in the Mets’ farm system beginning in 1981.  This led to a promotion as the Mets’ big league skipper in 1984, and Johnson immediately led New York to a string of five straight seasons with at least 90 wins.  This excellent run included a pair of NL East titles in 1986 and 1988, highlighted by the 108-win team in 1986 that remains the most recent Mets club to capture a World Series title.

Things eventually soured between Johnson and Mets GM Frank Cashen, leading to Johnson’s firing in 1990.  This essentially set the tone for the rest of Johnson’s managerial career — he would lead a team to success, yet would be dismissed relatively quickly due to clashes with ownership or upper management.  Johnson’s next four stints as a skipper saw him never stay with a team for longer than three seasons, even though Johnson had a sub-.500 record in just one of his eight final full seasons as a manager.

For instance, Johnson’s feud with infamous former Reds owner Marge Schott saw Johnson dismissed after the 1995  season, even though he led Cincinnati to the NL Central title and a NLDS victory over the Dodgers that remains the Reds’ most recent postseason series win.  Johnson then returned to his old stomping grounds and led the Orioles to postseason appearances in both 1996 and 1997, but even winning AL Manager of the Year honors in 1997 didn’t smooth over a dispute between Johnson and O’s owner Peter Angelos.

Johnson managed the Dodgers to a 163-161 record in 1999-2000, marking the only time Johnson didn’t lead a team to at least one postseason berth as a manager.  He spent much of the next decade managing in international baseball, while also working for the Nationals in a consulting role (beginning in 2006) that paved the way for his final managerial job in 2011, when Johnson took over as interim skipper following Jim Riggleman’s resignation.  Johnson was made the full-time skipper following that initial year in Washington, and won NL Manager of the Year honors for leading the Nats to their first NL East crown in 2012.  Johnson was 70 years old during his final season in Washington, however, and the Lerner family didn’t view him as a long-term manager, so Johnson retired after an 86-win season in 2013.

Known for his brash personality, Johnson’s outspoken ways may have hurt him in terms of keeping steady employment, yet it certainly aided his ability to manage a clubhouse.  Johnson was viewed as being somewhat ahead of his time in terms of running a team, being one of the first skippers to use some analytics to help in formulating his game plans.  A mathematics major during his college days, Johnson’s reputation for using analytics to gain an edge on the field earned him the ironic nickname of “Dum-Dum” from his Orioles teammates.

Johnson’s career managerial record was 1372-1071 over parts of 17 seasons.  His resume as a player includes 136 homers and a .261/.340/.404 slash line over 1435 games and 5465 plate appearances during his 13 MLB seasons, good for a 112 wRC+.  Though Johnson has fallen short of Hall of Fame induction on multiple veterans’ committee ballots, his overall body of work in baseball would certainly seem worthy of Cooperstown, and it can be argued that Johnson could deserve a HOF nod based on his managerial work alone.

We at MLB Trade Rumors express our condolences to Johnson’s family, friends, and peers.

Mets Sign Joe La Sorsa To Minors Contract

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1:12PM: The Mets have signed La Sorsa to a minor league contract, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports.  La Sorsa will provide some left-handed bullpen depth for a New York team that has had a revolving door of relievers going up and down from Triple-A all season.

11:59AM: Left-hander Joe La Sorsa has chosen to become a free agent instead of accepting an outright assignment to the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate, according to reporter Charlie Goldsmith.  Cincinnati designated La Sorsa for assignment earlier this week, and after he cleared waivers, La Sorsa had the ability to decide his next step since he has been previously outrighted in his career.

Over his first two MLB seasons, La Sorsa posted a 4.47 ERA over 50 1/3 innings and 41 games with the Rays and Nationals in 2023-24.  Cut loose by the Nats over the offseason, the southpaw caught on with Cincinnati on a minors contract, and that contract was selected to the active roster in early June.

The Reds made only sporadic use of La Sorsa and frequently only kept him in the majors for brief stints, and the up-and-down usage may have contributed to his ugly 10.80 ERA over five appearances and 6 2/3 innings.  Within that small sample size, La Sorsa was tagged for four home runs.

Time is running out on La Sorsa’s chances of landing a big league job with another team before 2025 is over, yet signing elsewhere on another minors deal might at least give the lefty a head start on the offseason.  La Sorsa has another minor league option year remaining, and clubs might be intrigued by La Sorsa’s career 2.88 ERA over 134 1/3 Triple-A innings.  These excellent bottom-line results come with a modest 19.05% strikeout rate, and La Sorsa’s walk rate also drastically spiked upward when pitching with Triple-A Louisville this season.

Reds Designate Joe La Sorsa For Assignment

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The Reds announced Tuesday that they’ve designated left-hander Joe La Sorsa for assignment and selected the contract of fellow southpaw Reiver Sanmartin from Triple-A Louisville. Cincinnati also optioned lefty Sam Moll to Louisville. Additionally, outfielder/first baseman Connor Joe has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A after clearing waivers, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic.

La Sorsa, 27, has pitched just 6 2/3 innings with the Reds this year after signing a minor league deal in the offseason. He’s been tagged for eight earned runs on 13 hits (four homers) and a pair of walks with two strikeouts in that small sample. That’s clearly not an exciting line for any pitcher, but the lefty has been far better in Triple-A, where he’s pitched 44 2/3 frames with a 2.82 earned run average. La Sorsa’s 21.1% strikeout rate and 13.4% walk rate in Louisville both leave something to be desired, however.

This year’s brief look with the Reds brought La Sorsa’s career totals in the majors to 57 innings with a 5.21 ERA, a 17.5% strikeout rate and a 6.3% walk rate. He’s previously suited up for the Rays and Nationals. While the big league track record is limited, La Sorsa has a 2.88 ERA in three Triple-A seasons (134 1/3 innings). He sits 91-92 mph with his sinker and complements that pitch with an upper-70s slider and a seldom-used changeup in the mid-80s. Now that he’s been designated for assignment, La Sorsa will head to waivers and be available to all 29 other teams. He’ll have a minor league option remaining next season.

Sanmartin, 29, is a familiar face for Cincinnati fans. He spent considerable time with the Reds in the majors from 2021-23, picking up 82 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. Sanmartin was hit hard in the majors, yielding a 5.77 ERA and a .289/.366/.450 batting line to his opponents across those three seasons. He’s posted a 4.27 ERA with a strikeout per inning in parts of three Triple-A campaigns, although this year’s 15 runs in 18 1/3 innings (7.36 ERA) don’t exactly portend a breakout.

The Reds cycled through four relievers yesterday and have had both Emilio Pagan and Tony Santillan work on back-to-back days already. Starter Nick Lodolo was scratched from today’s start due to illness, the team announced earlier in the day, leaving reliever Scott Barlow to start what will be a bullpen game. With that in mind, it’s not surprising to see them bring up a fresh arm — particularly one who’s stretched out for multi-inning work. Each of Sanmartin’s past four relief appearances has been for two or more innings, and he last pitched two frames on Aug. 29. He should be fresh for the day and could give the Reds two to three innings in relief of Barlow at some point.

As for Joe, he’s been with the Reds since early May. Originally signed by the Padres to a one-year, $1MM contract over the winter, the veteran 33-year-old has struggled to a .186/.263/.243 slash in 80 plate appearances between the two teams this season. The Reds have only used Joe sparingly, giving him 70 big league plate appearances since his May 9 acquisition. He’s struggled with similar rate stats in a similar sample of Triple-A at-bats this season.

Given this year’s poor performance in the upper minors and in the majors, it’s not surprising that no team placed a claim on Joe. It’s also unsurprising that he accepted the outright assignment. Joe has the three years of service needed to reject an outright assignment but does not have the five years required to reject an outright assignment and retain the remainder of his guaranteed money. Rejecting the assignment would’ve meant forfeiting the remaining $150K or so on his contract, so he’ll stick with the Reds for the rest of the year. As a player with more than three years of service who’s been removed from the 40-man roster, he’ll have the right to become a free agent at season’s end (unless he’s added back to the 40-man roster in the interim).

Reds To Promote Sal Stewart

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The Reds are calling up top infield prospect Sal Stewart, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports.  The transaction will presumably be made official prior to Cincinnati’s game with Toronto on Monday, and corresponding moves might not be necessary since rosters are expanding and the Reds have an open spot on the 40-man roster.

Stewart was the 32nd overall pick of the 2022 draft, and he’ll be making his big league debut whenever he first appears in a game.  Beyond just the regular pressure of playing in the majors for the first time, Stewart is also joining a Reds team that is desperately trying to stay in the wild card picture.  The Reds’ win over the Cardinals today was only Cincinnati’s second victory in its last 10 games, as the Reds have dropped to a 69-68 record and four games behind the Mets for the last NL wild card slot.

If anything, Cincinnati fans would’ve preferred to have seen Stewart in the Show weeks ago, given how the lineup has been struggling and Stewart has been crushing minor league pitching.  The infielder has a combined .309/.383/.523 slash line over 494 plate appearances in Double-A (329 PA) and Triple-A (165 PA) this season, which marked the first time Stewart had played above A-level ball.  It has been a rapid rise for a player who is just 21 years old, and it is possible he might’ve made it to the majors even sooner if a wrist injury hadn’t limited him to 80 games in 2024.

MLB Pipeline’s midseason update of its top-100 prospects list ranked Stewart 31st in all of baseball, while Baseball America has Stewart 86th on its top 100.  Both pundits give Stewart a 60-grade for his hit tool, and both cited the fact that Stewart has nearly as many walks (184) as strikeouts (216) over the course of his 1378 career PA in the minor leagues.  Stewart is very skilled at making hard and consistent contact, and he has upside in the power department — with 20 homers in the minors this year, Stewart is already showing signs of developing that pop.

Stewart has mostly played third base during his career, while also seeing some time as a second baseman and playing in his first two pro games as a first baseman while at Triple-A.  Evaluators aren’t sure about his defensive future and first base might ultimately end up being his ideal position down the road, but for now, Stewart could help out at multiple spots within the struggling Reds infield.

Cincinnati has stayed in the playoff mix despite getting negative-bWAR production from first base, second base, and third base.  Ke’Bryan Hayes was acquired at the trade deadline to at least stabilize third base from a defensive standpoint, but the Reds have stuck with Spencer Steer and Matt McLain at the other two infield spots despite subpar offense.  Stewart could easily be given some at-bats at the expense of Steer or McLain, with second base probably being the likelier landing spot since Stewart is still relatively inexperienced as a first baseman.

Due to the late call-up, Stewart will retain his rookie status heading into 2026.  He would also therefore qualify under the Prospect Promotion Incentive rules, so he could earn the Reds a bonus draft pick if he remains on the MLB roster for the entire 2026 season.

The Reds’ Newest Infield Question

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It wasn’t long ago that the Reds seemed to have an infield surplus. That has changed quickly. The Jeimer Candelario signing was a bust. Jonathan India was traded to Kansas City. Noelvi Marte tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance in Spring Training 2024. Matt McLain sustained significant shoulder and rib injuries and missed all of last year. First basemen Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Spencer Steer regressed, with Encarnacion-Strand’s stock completely tanking when he underwent wrist surgery in July ’24.

Cincinnati has needed to turn to trade a few times. They acquired glove-first utilityman Santiago Espinal in Spring Training last year. Gavin Lux was brought in as a lefty-hitting utility piece last offseason. Lux has been an average hitter and will be due an arbitration raise on this year’s $3.325MM salary. Espinal hasn’t hit at all and will probably be non-tendered in his final arbitration season. Cincinnati went back to the trade market this summer, taking on the final four and a half years on Ke’Bryan Hayes’ contract to land him from the Pirates. He’s now the starting third baseman, moving Marte to what appears to a full-time corner outfield role.

Elly De La Cruz and Hayes should be settled on the left side of the infield. Neither spot on the right side is established. Steer shouldn’t be playing every day on a contender. That might also be true of McLain, whose return from injury has been a major disappointment.

The former first-round pick carries a .221/.299/.329 batting line in 120 games. McLain came out of the gate on fire, homering in three straight games within the season’s first weekend. He has eight home runs in nearly five months since then. He’s hitting .217/.295/.305 in 464 plate appearances since the beginning of April. By measure of wRC+, he’s among the ten least productive hitters in that time (as are Hayes and Espinal).

It hasn’t cost McLain much playing time. That’s in part because of their lack of alternatives. They’d presumably have been more willing to play Espinal if he’d been hitting any better. McLain has dropped to the bottom third of the lineup after hitting second for a good chunk of the season. He looked like a legitimate building block two seasons ago. He finished fifth in Rookie of the Year balloting after hitting 16 homers with a .290/.357/.507 slash in 89 games. Then came last year’s injury-ruined season and this year’s dramatic downturn.

Some of the regression was foreseeable. McLain was never going to repeat the .385 average on balls in play that he had as a rookie. The Reds presumably also expected some rust after the year off. His strikeout and walk profile hasn’t changed much, but he’s doing far less damage on contact. He’s hitting fewer line drives and more lazy fly balls.

There’s also no sign that McLain is turning things around as he gets further removed from the injuries. Excluding his four-day tear in March, he’s been a below-average hitter in every month except June. His numbers have bottomed out over the past few weeks. McLain is hitting .217 with one extra-base knock (a double) and 24 strikeouts in 69 plate appearances in August.

Cincinnati doesn’t have many other options for the final month of the season. The only real alternative would be to play Lux more frequently at second base to open DH at-bats for Miguel Andujar. There’s a defensive downgrade from McLain to Lux and questions about whether Andujar would continue to hit as well as he has if he plays every day rather than getting heavy usage against left-handed pitching. The front office will have a tougher decision on whether to look outside the organization in the offseason.

McLain turned 26 earlier this month. He’s under arbitration control for four more seasons. As recently as this spring, the Reds viewed him as a core piece. McLain told Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer in April that the team approached with a preliminary extension framework before Opening Day. Talks didn’t get anywhere as both sides waited to see how McLain would perform after losing the ’24 season. It’s fair to say the Reds won’t be eager to revisit extension talks now, but it’s not known to what extent they might’ve soured on his long-term projection.

They have a few upper minors infielders who could push for playing time in 2026. Sal Stewart has hit 20 homers with a combined .309/.385/.528 slash between the top two minor league levels in his age-21 season. He’s a promising offensive player but faces questions from scouts about his position. Stewart has played mostly third base in the minors. He has started 15 games at second base this season after making 36 appearances there a year ago. Prospect evaluators consider him a below-average athlete, runner and defender. Do the Reds think he could be a viable if fringy second baseman, or is he more of an option to push Steer for first base reps?

There’s the opposite question with Edwin Arroyo. He’s a gifted defensive shortstop who may have a limited offensive ceiling. Arroyo lost all of 2024 to his own shoulder surgery. He has returned to put together a solid season in Double-A. He’s hitting .289/.351/.380 with good plate discipline metrics but only has three home runs. The Reds will put him on the 40-man roster this offseason, but he has yet to see any Triple-A action. Arroyo shouldn’t have any issue sliding over to second base defensively. He probably wouldn’t make a huge impact at the plate as a rookie.

Tyler Callihan made his MLB debut earlier this season. He broke his wrist crashing into the outfield wall while playing left field in his fourth MLB game. Callihan required season-ending surgery. He can compete for an Opening Day roster spot next spring and is viewed as a bat-first player who’s probably better suited for left field than second base.

The Reds probably don’t want to count on any of Stewart, Arroyo or Callihan out of the gate. They’ll need to decide whether to give McLain another shot or to add someone in free agency or trade. Gleyber Torres is the top free agent at the position. He might be attached to draft pick compensation as a qualifying offer candidate. Signing him would have echoes of the Mike Moustakas/Candelario deals that have flopped on the Reds in the past.

They could take a flier on bat-first utilityman Luis Rengifo. Trade options at the position include Brandon Lowe ($11.5MM club option), Ozzie Albies ($7MM club option), Luis García Jr. (likely $6-7MM arbitration salary), and Lenyn Sosa (pre-arbitration). India will probably be available in free agency with the Royals likely to non-tender him, but that’s only because he’s coming off a replacement level season with Kansas City.

Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images.

Reds Select Zach Maxwell

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The Reds announced Friday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Zach Maxwell from Triple-A Louisville. Fellow righty Ian Gibaut, who’s been out since late June due to a shoulder impingement, was transferred from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL to create space on the 40-man roster.

Maxwell, 24, was Cincinnati’s sixth-round pick out of Georgia Tech back in 2022. The hulking 6’6″, 275-pound righty ranked 24th among Reds prospects on the post-draft updates from both Baseball America and MLB.com. He’s spent the entire season in Triple-A so far, tossing 49 2/3 innings out of the bullpen and recording a 4.17 earned run average. Maxwell boasts a plus-plus fastball and slider/cutter, per those scouting reports, with Baseball America noting that he can “look unhittable” when his command is dialed in.

That’s a prominent caveat, however. Maxwell has poor command and has struggled with walks dating back to his college career, when he walked a combined 20.6% of his opponents in his final two years before being drafted. He’s scaled that back a bit, but he’s still doled out a free pass to an untenable 14.5% of opponents this year in Louisville.

Maxwell can miss bats in droves, as one would expect from a massive righty whose velocity climbs as high as 102 mph (and likely appears even faster to opponents, given the extension he can get on a 6’6″ frame). If he can continue to make incremental gains with his command — he’s scaled back from a 16% walk rate in ’24 to this year’s 14.5% mark — he has the makings of a formidable late-game bullpen weapon. It’s a similar skill set to another towering Reds righty, the 6’5″ Luis Mey, though Mey uses a sinker as his primary offering rather than a four-seamer. The Mey/Maxwell pairing could potentially be lethal at the end of Reds games, but both will need to improve their command to reach their ceilings. Mey was optioned to Louisville last night, and Maxwell is taking his spot on the active roster.

Maxwell will be auditioning for a future bullpen spot in the final five weeks or so of the season (while, of course, also trying to help push the team into the postseason). Emilio Pagan is a free agent at season’s end, while other veterans like Scott Barlow and Brent Suter both have club options. The former seems unlikely to be picked up, though the latter could well return, given his Cincinnati roots and the option’s affordable net $2.75MM price point. Either way, there are some potential openings in the 2026 ’pen that could be claimed by some of the organization’s young arms.

Reds Place Tyler Stephenson On Injured List With Thumb Fracture

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The Reds announced today that catcher Tyler Stephenson has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a thumb fracture. In a corresponding move, the club has selected the contract of catcher Will Banfield from Triple-A. He’ll take the 40-man roster spot of Jake Fraley, who was designated for assignment over the weekend and claimed off waivers by the Braves yesterday.

Stephenson, 29, was selected 11th overall by Cincinnati back in 2015 and has been the club’s primary catcher since 2021. Long considered a bat-first option behind the plate, he’s also seen occasional time at DH and first base over the years but entered the 2025 season with a solid .267/.343/.427 (107 wRC+) slash line for his career, including a 113 wRC+ during the 2024 campaign. Unfortunately, he’s struggled to produce at the plate this year and has ceded much of his playing time to Jose Trevino behind the dish. Stephenson gotten into 72 games this year, with a .226/.313/.393 (90 wRC+) line in 288 plate appearances. Most concerning is his massive 34.4% strikeout rate, which is eleven points north of his career mark of 23.4%.

That Stephenson is injured isn’t exactly a surprise, seeing as he suffered the injury on a pitch caught from Hunter Greene last week against the Phillies. He’s played just one game since then due to the issue, and now that he’s on the shelf it’s unclear when he’ll be back in the lineup. The Reds have given no indication about his timeline for return at this point, and that leaves Trevino to take over regular duties behind the plate after spitting time with Stephenson throughout the year.

After getting his start with the Rangers back in 2018, Trevino developed into a top-tier defender behind the plate before being traded to the Yankees. He posted a wRC+ of just 81 across his three seasons in the Bronx but won a platinum glove for his work at catcher before being shipped to Cincinnati in exchange for Fernando Cruz and Alex Jackson over the offseason. The 32-year-old hasn’t looked quite as good this year behind the plate and is hitting just .176/.205/.206 since the start of July, but remains a plus pitch framer. Still, for a club with an excellent rotation but a lackluster offense, losing Stephenson’s bat from the lineup is a considerable blow as the Reds look to sneak their way into the NL Wild Card conversation.

For the time being, Trevino will be backed up by Banfield. The 25-year-old spent his whole career in the Marlins organization before electing free agency and signing a minor league deal with the Reds last November. He’s struggled badly at the plate in 73 games at Triple-A this year, hitting just .220/.277/.304 with a wRC+ of 53. Brutal as that slash line may be, however, Banfield is viewed as a solid defender behind the plate who should serve as an adequate backup for Trevino while Stephenson’s thumb recovers. Behind Banfield, the club’s additional catching depth leaves much to be desired. P.J. Higgins and Eric Yang are both in the club’s minor league system but Yang has just one game of big league experience and is hitting poorly at Triple-A while Higgins is generally viewed as a lackluster defender behind the plate, hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2022, and has hit just .210/.291/.348 (85 wRC+) in 83 games at the big league level for his career.

Braves Claim Jake Fraley

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The Braves announced that they have claimed outfielder Jake Fraley off waivers from the Reds. Cincinnati designated him for assignment a couple of days ago. Atlanta has multiple 40-man vacancies. They will need to open an active roster spot once Fraley reports to the team, as he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent.

Fraley has had some major league success but isn’t having his best season. He has had a couple of stints on the injured list, one due to left calf tenderness and another due to a right shoulder sprain. Those injuries limited him to 67 games with the Reds. His .232/.332/.387 batting line translated to a 98 wRC+, indicating he was 2% below league average. He only stole four bases, despite getting at least 20 in the previous two seasons.

The Reds squeezed him off their roster, opting to give some of his playing time to Will Benson as they are trying to make a playoff push. Atlanta is in a different situation, as they are out of contention this year. Fraley can be retained for 2026, so they can give him some playing time down the stretch to see if he’s worth tendering a contract for next year.

His career has had ups and downs but there are things to like in his profile, particularly his ability to succeed with the platoon advantage. A left-handed hitter, he has a career .260/.344/.434 line and 112 wRC+ against righties. Against southpaws, that line is just .172/.269/.234, leading to a 45 wRC+. As mentioned, he can swipe a few bags as well. He only has four this year but got 21 in 2023 and 20 last year.

Defensively, the reviews are mixed. Playing all three spots, he’s been credited with four Outs Above Average in his career. Defensive Runs Saved gives him a far worse grade of -9. However, DRS hates his work in center and right field but likes him in left.

Fraley is making $3.125MM this year and, as mentioned, can be retained for next year via arbitration. This year’s injuries will limit his ability to earn a massive raise. Atlanta evidently feels there’s a possibility to him serving a role on next year’s club, so they have grabbed him today.

Atlanta’s current outfield mix includes Ronald Acuña Jr., Jurickson Profar, Michael Harris II, Eli White and Vidal Bruján. They have Marcell Ozuna as the designated hitter on a regular basis but he’s an impending free agent. It’s possible the club wants to use next year’s DH spot to get more at-bats for the catching duo of Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy, but they could also rotate some outfielders through there. It’s been speculated that they might make Murphy available in trades this winter to give the job to Baldwin and clear some payroll space. Others have speculated that they might make Profar available since he got hit with a PED suspension shortly after signing. Trading either would open up some more playing time for others.

Those are questions still to be answered in the long run. Atlanta is not committed to including Fraley in next year’s plans as they could always non-tender him after 2024. For now, Fraley will jump into the current outfield mix. Perhaps Acuña will get some time off his feet down the stretch since his health has been touch-and-go this year. He was still recovering from last year’s ACL tear at the start of the 2025 campaign. More recently, he missed a few weeks due to a calf strain.

Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Imagn Images

Reds Designate Jake Fraley For Assignment

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The Reds announced this morning that they’ve designated outfielder Jake Fraley for assignment. Outfielder Will Benson was recalled to replace Fraley on the active roster. Right-hander Connor Phillips was also recalled to the MLB roster after the club optioned southpaw Joe La Sorsa to Triple-A last night.

Fraley, 30, began his career with the Mariners and was shipped to Cincinnati as part of the trade that sent Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker to Seattle. Since making his Reds debut in 2022, Fraley has been a roughly league average bat for the club. He’s hit .260/.336/.421 (105 wRC+) in 362 games for the club over the past four seasons and has never posted a wRC+ below 96 over a full season. He’s proven to be a solid baserunner as well, with 20-steal campaigns in both 2023 and ’24, though his defense has left him mostly limited to being a middling defender in the outfielder corners.

The biggest flaw in Fraley’s game is his massive platoon split, however. He’s virtually unplayable against lefties, with a .187/.263/.260 (44 wRC+) slash line against southpaws in 137 plate appearances during his time with the Reds. That’s offset by his solid .269/.346/.441 (113 wRC+) line against right-handed pitchers, of course, but Fraley is also in a 1-for-17 slump since the start of August and is hitting a lackluster .226/.305/.377 (83 wRC+) dating all the way back to June 20. That’s not substantially better than Benson, who sports an 80 wRC+ in 201 plate appearances this year. Perhaps the Reds are hoping that giving Benson opportunities down the stretch will get him into position to take over Fraley’s role as a left-handed platoon outfielder for 2026, when Fraley would’ve been due a raise on his $3.125MM salary for 2025 via arbitration and likely found himself non-tendered come November.

As for Phillips, the righty was once a consensus top-100 prospect but suffered a brutal season at Triple-A last year as he walked 15.3% of his opponents in 19 starts. He’s converted to relief this year and done better for himself with a 2.84 ERA in 38 innings, though his 14.6% walk rate remains elevated. He’s made just four appearances at the big league level this year but will now get an opportunity to try and harness his high-octane stuff as the Reds shuffle out La Sorsa, who surrendered a three-run homer to infielder Andruw Monasterio in the 11th inning of yesterday’s brutal 6-5 loss to Milwaukee.

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