Infielder Matt Reynolds, whom the Royals designated for assignment over the weekend, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Omaha, per a team announcement. That he was outrighted to Triple-A and not to the alternate training site is an important distinction, as it indicates that he’s been removed from the team’s player pool, thus rendering him ineligible to return to the Royals in 2020.
The 29-year-old Reynolds appeared in three games with the Royals this season after signing a minor league pact over the winter. The former Mets and Nationals infielder was hitless in 11 trips to the plate in his first taste of big league action since the 2018 season in Washington.
Reynolds, a career .212/.282/.323 hitter, has never seen more than 130 plate appearances in a Major League season but carries a solid track record at the Triple-A level, where he’s batted .286/.361/.441 in parts of six seasons (2038 plate appearances). That includes a .295/.401/.521 showing last year. The 2012 second-rounder has appeared at every position on the diamond other than catcher, even pitching two minor league innings, over the course of his professional career. His outright by the Royals likely puts an end to his 2020 season, but his Triple-A track record and defensive versatility should create opportunities for him to sign a minor league deal with a new club in need of infield depth this offseason.
Matt Reynolds? The Mets shortstop of the future?… seriously, I remember the organization merciless hyping this guy yet at the same time unwilling to give him a shot. I’ll save you all the time: he’s not very good.
It wasn’t the organization. It was blog commenters, tabloid columnists, and hosts on FAN, who assumed the stats from the 51s would replicate in the majors.
Yea, you’re mostly correct, but there was a bit of a nudging from up top within the organization on the subject. They did the same with Plawecki and Nieuwenhuis.
I’m a Mets fan and none of us hyped him up that much
Perhaps not the fans but he got an awful lot of press as a 24 year old AA/AAA “prospect”.
I was thinking of the other Reynolds. The one that hits bombs but barely hits .200.
Mark Reynolds. A much better player than Matt.