Catching up on some players being outrighted off their teams’ 40-man roster, with all info coming from MLB.com’s official transactions page unless credited otherwise…
Latest Moves
- The Guardians assigned catcher Eric Haase to Triple-A this evening, three days after he was designated for assignment. The 30-year old backstop was drafted by Cleveland back in 2011 and eventually made his major league debut with the club in 2018. He was shipped to Detroit in a cash deal in January 2020 and spent the next several years as the club’s primary catcher, slashing .229/.280/.400 in his 301 games with the Tigers. Detroit designated him for assignment back in August to make room for the signing of Carson Kelly and he was promptly claimed off waivers by the Guardians, reuniting him with his first big league organization. In this most recent stint with Cleveland, Haase made it into just three games, going 2-for-10 with a walk and three strikeouts before being DFA’d for the second time that month. As a player who’s been outrighted in the past, Haase has the right to reject the outright assignment if he so chooses, though he would not be eligible for the postseason upon signing with a new club and could simply elect free agency this offseason if not added back to the 40-man roster.
Earlier Today
- The Royals outrighted Joe Barlow to Triple-A after clearing waivers, two days after the right-hander was designated for assignment. Barlow has a 4.66 ERA over 13 games and 9 2/3 innings with the Rangers this season, as he has spent most of 2023 pitching at the Triple-A level. Kansas City claimed Barlow off waivers in early August but he didn’t receive and big league action for K.C., instead just pitching at Triple-A Omaha. Barlow posted a 2.81 ERA and 24 saves over 64 innings for the Rangers in 2021-22, even if his secondary metrics hinted that some regression was coming.
- The Reds outrighted infielder Alejo Lopez to Triple-A. Lopez was designated for assignment earlier this week when Cincinnati added Hunter Renfroe and Harrison Bader to the roster. Because Lopez has previously been outrighted in his career (back in February), he has the option of rejecting the outright assignment and becoming a free agent, though there isn’t yet any word about his decision. The 27-year-old Lopez was a 27th-round pick for the Reds in 2015 and he has spent his entire career with the organization, including 73 games and 159 plate appearances at the big league level in 2021-22. Cincinnati selected Lopez’s contract again this week but he didn’t see any more game action before being DFA’ed. Lopez has hit .262/.307/.321 in the majors but he has shown an ability to get on base during his minor league career, even if his power numbers are lacking. Playing primarily around the infield during his career, Lopez has added to his versatility by getting more corner outfield action over the last couple of seasons.
- The Giants outrighted outfielder Bryce Johnson to Triple-A. Like Lopez, Johnson was also a recent DFA, and he also has the option of free agency since he has been outrighted in the past. Johnson made his Major League debut in 2022, and has hit .148/.209/.213 over 67 PA while appearing in 41 games for San Francisco in the last two seasons. Known as a strong defender who can play all three outfield positions, Johnson also has plus speed, though his impressive stolen base totals from the minors (157 steals in 199 chances) haven’t yet translated into the small sample size of his big league career. His overall offensive game has yet to really show up in the big leagues, as Johnson has a .287/.370/.431 slash line over 988 PA at the Triple-A level.
Hunter Renfroe and Harrison Bader are interesting acquisitions for a Reds team that has so much young offensive talent. While Bader is not quite as brittle as Senzel, he has been out injured a lot.
Most of the young hitters are fading with the bat somewhat towards the end of the season. I think it is a low cost test run with Bader and Renfroe. Bader shouldn’t expected to add much offense due the fact he has not with the Yankees. The Reds think they have a chance in the pennant race which is unlikely in my opinion. Too many injuries on the pitching staff with no additions at the deadline. I would be getting an extended look at the youngsters(hitters) rather than letting Renfroe and Bader soak up the limited playing time going forward to the end of the season.
I give the Reds kudos for at least trying to make the playoffs, if they falter it tells everyone they didn’t quit, good luck
They are not trying very hard. Trade deadlines me came and went with no starting pitching help. Picking up a couple of wavier claims isn’t sufficient to say they tried.
Yet this is a team that lost 100 games last season, came into the year with a clear rebuild on paper and has gone beyond expectations. So why do so many people continue to complain about this team and what they have done this year? I am happy hanging onto the prospects that we have and seeing them develop. The off-season will be fun to watch and 2024 will be where the playoff expectations can come into play. Just enjoy the rest of the season.
Agreed. I’m almost ecstatic about the Reds 2023 season, as well as their Minor League system. Who actually thought Reds could have this many prospects/sophmore players without growing pains; particularly in a pennant race. Just not possible they could have obtained sufficient additional pitching at the trade deadline to win the division without expending too much of their minor league talent to sustain their rebuild.