The Red Sox announced on Wednesday that they’ve claimed first baseman/outfielder Steve Selsky off waivers from the Reds. Cincinnati had designated the 27-year-old Selsky for assignment last week. The waiver claim fills Boston’s 40-man roster.
The 2016 season marked the big league debut of Selsky, who picked up 54 plate appearances and batted a very solid .314/.340/.471 with a pair of home runs in his limited showing. Selsky’s pop has been a bit more limited in a larger sample of work at Triple-A, however, as the former 33rd-rounder has compiled a .283/.369/.425 batting line in 191 games with Cincinnati’s affiliate in Louisville.
Though he’s never ranked as one of the Reds’ best prospects, Selsky has a track record of production in the minors (.295/.379/.459 in his career) and will give the Sox a right-handed option to serve as a bench bat or a depth piece in Triple-A Pawtucket. Selsky does have minor league options remaining, so he can be stashed in Triple-A without needing to be re-exposed to waivers. Boston does, however, have one of the lowest waiver priority rankings in the league, meaning that most of the league passed on the chance to claim Selsky. Knowing that, the Sox could potentially feel confident that they can sneak Selsky back through waivers in the near future and re-open that slot on the 40-man roster (while retaining Selsky as a non-roster player).
Solid move
No brainer move for sure. Guess that buries Allen Craig for ever..
Already buried. Just counting till that contract is done ✅
No. It just means if Craig is called up they have someone to replace him at Pawtucket.
Allen Craig….talk about a fall from grace…
Thought it was stupid for the Reds to dump him, no we can’t find major league at bats for a guy that always put up a solid line in the minors, now that a smartly ran team claims I know it was dumb.
So explain where he would have played…you have Schebler, Hamilton, Duvall, Alcantara, Peraza, and Winker all ahead of him…why keep a spot for a 27 year old that at best will be a 4th/5th OF?? And don’t say look at his stats he had 54 plate appearances and AAA stats to major stats don’t translate often and he has been called up but once so clearly he wasn’t that special
As the last paragraph says, the Red Sox are likely to clear him through waivers and outright him to the minors, rather than play him. Smartly run teams try that with players of all caliber, and I don’t think that says a great deal about the caliber of Selsky, or suggests a flawed decision process by the Reds.
25 teams, most of the with much bigger needs than the Red Sox, passed on Selsky. The Red Sox had an opening on their 40 man roster and had no player in their system that they wanted to start the clock on at this time. Selsky will contribute at Pawtucket and he will get a few games in Boston should an injury occur just like he did in Cincinnati.
With minimal depth options and a lack of interest in free agents wanting to sign a minor league pact because of obvious implications of not making the MLB roster, I love this move about as much as someone can get excited about on a waiver claim.
Selsky may not have been highly touted being a 33rd rounder, but his stat line looks like a great option to go to in an emergency situation, and he also provides some versatility being a 1B and OF.