The Reds announced that they have selected catcher Austin Wynns to their roster. To open a spot on the 40-man, they transferred left-hander Brandon Williamson to the 60-day injured list. Williamson underwent Tommy John surgery in September and will likely miss the entire 2025 season.
Adding Wynns has seemed likely for a while now. The Reds previously only had two catchers on their 40-man roster in Tyler Stephenson and Jose Trevino. Stephenson got an MRI on his back a couple of weeks ago which revealed a low-grade oblique strain. That made it inevitable that the Reds would have to add another backstop to pair with Trevino to start the season.
Wynns, 34, was in this role with Cincinnati in 2024 as well. The club selected his contract three times last year, whenever they needed a fresh body. In the first two cases, he was designated for assignment and outrighted back to Louisville a few days later. In the third case, he himself landed on the IL due to a right teres major tear and finished the season there. At season’s end, he was outrighted off the roster again and elected free agency but returned on a fresh minor league pact.
His .230/.277/.332 career batting line isn’t strong but he’s a veteran backstop who has appeared in parts of six big league seasons now. He’s considered a competent defender and the Reds are clearly comfortable with him.
Jose Trevino was starting to worry he’d be catching every inning.
The front office was probably sitting there daydreaming and had that sudden moment of ” oh shoot! we need two whole catchers!”
Off-subect, but I wonder if there will ever be another roster incresea from 26? Seems like it could be a pretty good thing for everyone involved if there could be 27 or 28 all year. I know that September 1st is the day it goes to 28, but I wonder how many injuries are worsened by a smaller roster?
Let’s commission another study for unimportant information. There aren’t enough of those already.
Could be important information and it’s not like there isn’t enough money in baseball to explore some stuff…
The Owners hate the idea, scissors. It’d have to be Collectively Bargained… and it’s a BIG ask by the Player’s Union.
The 40 man roster size needs to be adjusted. It should be a 20 man pitching roster and a 22 man position player roster.
I don’t see anything wrong with the Expanded Roster (aka 40 Man)…
Teams can fill it out however they wish.
Not sure if Tyler will ever stay healthy they didn’t try to extend him that we have reported
All the Reds do is wynns wynns wynns no matter what what what
Got (no) money on their mind, they always have (just) enough enough.
Translated: we are too cheap to sign anyone better so we are staying with the AAA guy.
This one (translated):
I am here to criticize the Reds every chance I get.
Even though the Reds have perhaps the best catching tandem in all of baseball, it’s not good enough.
Wynns isn’t the long-term answer, but his presence allows the Reds to delay promoting a prospect like Daniel Vellojin or Logan Tanner—keeping their service clocks unticked—while quietly auditioning Wynns as a trade throw-in.
York – not sure those guys are considered prospects since they are giving all the lip service to Duno, the 19 year old kid in A ball who needs to stay away from the Taco Bell and McDonalds drive thrus.