Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand has been designated for assignment, the team announced. Catcher P.J. Higgins is taking his spot on the 40-man roster. Higgins was recalled after catcher Jose Trevino went to the IL due to a thoracic spine strain.
Encarnacion-Strand was the heir apparent at first base as Joey Votto‘s legendary career wound down. He delivered a 113 wRC+ across 63 games as a rookie in 2023. With Votto moving on at the end of that season, Encarnacion-Strand opened 2024 as Cincinnati’s everyday first baseman. He hit just .190 over the first six weeks of the year. A broken wrist ended his campaign in early May.
It was more of the same for Encarnacion-Strand last year. He had the first base job to begin the season, but posted a .482 OPS through three weeks, then hit the IL with back inflammation. Encarnacion-Strand spent most of June with the big-league club, slashing .230/.262/.410 over 17 games. He was sent back to Triple-A in early July.
More to come…
Had a great start to his career in 2023, but hasn’t been the same since. With Sal Stewart, Ke’Bryan Hayes, and Eugenio Suarez before him, he’s an odd man out. But given his young age, he can still have some potential in him.
Will miss that extremely long last name in Cincy. Good luck to CES.
I’m not sure he’ll be claimed, but he should be!
Tyler Mahle trade looked like highway robbery at first.
Reds still won that trade by a lot.
Steer alone won the trade.
He had such a high prospect pedigree when he came over from that Twins trade. Oh well, he’s still young, he’ll get picked up by another team.
Rockies on line 1
Oh yeah, they definitely need to pick this guy up.
You guys have obviously not seen TJ Rumsfield playing this year. The Rockies have found their 1B. At the very least they are not desperate enough to take someone else’s failures anymore.
TJ Rumfield is my new favorite Rockie. I hope he keeps it up. Huge guy with a powerful swing. Fun to watch when he’s hot.
I thought he was a little undervalued after that breakout season in the minors. Did he even break the top 100 ?
Ouch for Trevino.
As for CES, so much potential never realized and now there are so many on the team with his positional possibilities. Good luck to him.
Wow- his place in that organization certainly changed in 2 years time.
He will find plenty of interest I would think.
I am guessing the reds asked around for interest in the offseason before they just dumped him like that. I doubt there was interest at a cost, but for free someone will take him for sure
@sports. He will be traded for international money or a ptbnl
Angels can use him and dump moancada.
I do believe he will getting his opportunity and when he faces the reds it may not fare too well. He was the strongest red by far and can hit a ball a very long way.
I’m pretty sure the White Sox wanted this guy a couple years ago.
Sox need to pick him up, he’s better than Caleb DIRTBIN
He had the worst of the worse PR I’ve seen since Rolando Roomes.
I think people are wat overrating this guy. He has one of the worst approaches at the plate of all time. He’s the opposite of Sal Stewart. Also, good luck if you expect him to play 3B.
Of all time, eh?
It’s pretty bad. Never walks. Chases like crazy. Way too aggressive. No eye to speak of.
DBacks don’t even have a first baseman, Santana is showing his age at 40, Can’t even keep Pavin Smith healthy enough to play a majority of games. Now they are using a combo of a utility infielder in Vargas and some guy named Baker who they just called up. C’mon Hazen get on the phone and make a deal to get a young first baseman that has real potential.