11:15am: The Reds have formally selected the contracts of Steer and right-hander Fernando Cruz, per a team announcement. Mike Moustakas and righty Jeff Hoffman were transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list to open space on the 40-man roster.
Cruz, 32, reaches the big leagues in the culmination of one of the more remarkable baseball journeys in recent memory. Drafted by the Royals as an infielder back in 2007, he toiled through four minor league seasons before beginning to experiment off the mound in 2011 and giving up infield work for good by 2012. Cruz still struggled to advance through the minors, however, and after a one-year stop in the Cubs organization, was out of affiliated ball entirely by 2016.
From 2016-21, Cruz split his time between the Puerto Rican Winter League, the Mexican League (both winter and regular season) and the independent Canadian-American Association, where he worked as a starter and closer alike for the New Jersey Jackals. The Reds signed him this past winter on the heels of his latest indie ball campaign, and he’s broken out with 56 innings of 2.89 ERA ball in Triple-A, where he’s punched out 29.3% of his opponents against an 8.4% walk rate.
Whether Cruz is truly a long-term piece for the Reds can be debated, but it’s hard not to be happy for a 32-year-old rookie who was out of affiliated ball for six seasons. A call to the Majors must have seemed like a pipe dream not long ago for Cruz, but that MLB debut could come any day now.
8:27am: The Reds are promoting top infield prospect Spencer Steer to the Majors, reports C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. He’ll join the big league team today as part of September roster expansion and should get regular opportunities down the stretch.
Steer, 24, came to the Reds alongside left-hander Steven Hajjar and infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand in the deadline trade that sent right-hander Tyler Mahle to Minnesota. He recently moved into the back end of Baseball America’s top 100 prospect rankings, checking in at No. 98 on this month’s update.
A third-round pick by Minnesota back in 2019, Steer was the headliner in that Mahle trade, due in no small part to the numbers he posted between Double-A (.307/.385/.591, 144 wRC+) and Triple-A (.242/.345/.485, 117 wRC+) during his time with the Twins. Steer has continued at a strong pace with Cincinnati’s Triple-A affiliate in Louisville, hitting at a .297/.375/.467 pace. Between the two organizations, he’s combined for 23 home runs, 30 doubles, a pair of triples and four steals (in seven tries). He’s walked at a 10.4% clip and punched out in 18.1% of his trips to the plate this season.
The Reds have played Steer at all four infield positions, plus one game in right field, but he’s spent the vast majority of his time at second base and third base — both this season and in his professional career. With 2021 National League Rookie of the Year Jonathan India entrenched at second base, Steer seems likely ticketed for the hot corner, at least in the long term. For the short term, however, the Reds could potentially continue to bounce him around the diamond while getting a look at his bat against big league pitching. With Joey Votto out for the season and Mike Moustakas back on the injured list (and clearly not factoring into the team’s long-term plans), Steer should have plenty opportunities for at-bats alongside India and shortstop Jose Barrero, giving Reds fans a potential glimpse of the future infield.
Steer displayed an ability to make consistent contact this year, has steadily improved his power output since being drafted, and is a solid defender at multiple positions. Steer sits outside the top-100 rankings at FanGraphs and MLB.com but ranks ninth and seventh in the Reds’ system on those respective rankings. Scouting reports on him generally agree that he lacks a true plus tool but also lacks any glaring flaws; his blend of defensive versatility, solid bat-to-ball skills, improved power and an at-least average arm give him the potential to be a regular in the Cincinnati infield for years to come.
Depending on how much playing time Steer receives down the stretch, it’s possible he’ll exhaust his rookie status over the next five weeks. He’d need more than 130 at-bats to do so, but regardless, he won’t receive a full year of service in 2022 and won’t put himself on a path to Super Two trajectory, based on this September promotion. If he remains rookie-eligible heading into 2023, the Reds would retain the ability to receive compensatory draft picks based on potential Rookie of the Year voting in 2023.
I guess this means he can’t be on their playoff roster since they did not promote him yesterday? Too bad
I realize this is a joke, but you don’t need to be on the 40-man roster prior to Sept. 1 to be playoff-eligible.
Anyone in the organization as of 11:59pm ET last night is playoff eligible. Those not on the 40-man roster simply need league approval to be added as a replacement for someone who’s injured. Teams make postseason additions like that every year.
Perfect timing. Use up his rookie eligibility down the stretch to keep him for the 6th year. The extra year on a sure thing beats a crapshoot pick in the late first round.
It’s not going to use up his rookie eligibility unless they allow it. He needs to be on the active roster for 45 days or get 130 PA. He can’t hit the 45 day threshold, so it’s a matter of getting 130 PA, which I doubt will happen.
It’s actually 130 AB’s not PA’s.
Steer would need to play every game in September and have just 4 PA’s in each game to reach 130 PA’s, odds are good neither happens
Moose is looking like a DH going forward. I can’t see Cincy eating $18 million to release him.
So the Reds are bullish on Steer?
Let’s hope they can guide his career in the right direction.
So the Reds are bullish on Steer?
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Well done! I was going to suggest the Reds should trade for Seth Beer. A post-game Steer & a Beer is a marketing dream come true.
A Steer got called up to take the place of a Moose
Gonna round up those RiB-eyes.
Instead of “a potential glimpse of the future infield,” isn’t it an actual glimpse of the potential future infield?
Barrero is awful the ss of the future is at aa
Jose Barrero has been insanely awful, along with Aristides Aquino. Aquino should be cut.
Barrero does have some potential, no harm in seeing if he can figure it out next year. Aquino needs to be gone today
The Reds have 4 SS in their top 5 prospects rankings, Barrero will definitely have to learn how to hit to fend any of them off but most likely will end up a utility player or traded.
Aquino is frustrating because he has tremendous power but unfortunately like the great Pedro Cerrano the bat is afraid of curveballs
The Reds are promoting top infield prospect
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I’m curious about what makes a player a “top prospect”. He is unranked, and FG gives him a 40+ (called him a part-timer). He was ranked #16 with MN and would likely be ranked similarly for the Reds.
Just like I object to calling 10-20 different players all “generational players”, or articles saying that no one has ever seen a player like Oneil Cruz, can we maybe cut back on the superlatives for ordinary prospects?
Who has him unranked?
Who has him unranked?
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BA, BP & MLB. My go-to sources is always the minor league page on B-R.
even after updates? I swore MLB.com had him somewhere in the 10-15 range.
Steer is ranked #7 in the Reds system according to MLB.com, so while not being a top 100 prospect he is a top 10 prospect in their system (though perhaps the headline could have reflected that better).
As for Cruz, as the tallest player to ever play SS and the guy who knocked Giancarlo Stanton off the top of the hardest hit ball according to statcast list it is true we haven’t seen a player like Cruz. Whether that translates to any sort of long term success obviously remains to be seen as it’s doubtful that Cruz’ future is at SS
Fangraphs updated board has him as the Reds #9 prospect and a FV of 45 (which would put him anywhere between 150th and 300th best prospect in the minors).
MLB (Reds #7 – just outside top 100) and BA (#98) have him even higher.
In my books, that qualifies for a “top prospect” tag.
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Steer has already been cut
They knew he was going to be too expensive for them in his final two years of arb so they released him early. This team is three steps ahead
Good idea to get them up and see what they have in a lost season. Plan for the future.
I agree Barrera looks lost and they have had more patience with Aquino than most. Drew Stubbs 2.0. Great in the beginning but could not make adjustments when the league figured him out. That is always the key. We have seen India make adjustments recently but that didn’t surprise me. He has the right mindset to stay.
Best Spencer in baseball.
Go Fernando Cruz! I’m going to be rooting for you even though I know next to nothing about the Reds. A 32 year old rookie out of organized ball for six seasons. Wow, how can you not root for him!?!?
Less than 1% of the 5,600+ players who have debuted since the beginning of the 1998 season (last mlb expansion) were older than Cruz is currently. Most were NPB/KBO players. Congrats, toiling away in INDY ball is finally paying off.
hopefully Spencer can STEER the Reds infield in the right direction! Thank you, thank you, I’m here all week
Don’t forget to trip your waitress.
Why do I think someone will play ABBA for their new pitcher?
Agree with most though, how can you not root for a guy keeping the dream alive and making it?
Wow, what a journey for Cruz. Congrats to him.
I still don’t see Steer listed in Yahoo fantasy