Right-hander Greg Reynolds can opt out of his minor league contract with the Reds on Saturday, MLBTR has learned.
Reynolds, 27, has pitched to a 2.51 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 86 innings (12 starts) for the Triple-A Louisville Bats. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2006 draft is doing the best Triple-A work of his career, and the Reds do have an open spot in the rotation with Johnny Cueto on the disabled list. However, manager Dusty Baker recently noted that top prospect Tony Cingrani, who is already on the 40-man roster and pitched for the team earlier this season, is the likely candidate to replace Cueto (MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reporting). The team could, of course, elect to use Reynolds in a bullpen that needs some help. Cincinnati's relief corps has a 4.11 ERA on the season, which ranks 22nd in the Majors.
Reynolds, a Stanford product much like recent No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel, has a 7.47 ERA with just 40 strikeouts against 36 walks in 94 Major League innings — all coming with the Rockies in 2008 and 2011.
