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Reds Rumors

Reds Claim Ryan Vilade, Designate Jacob Hurtubise

By Mark Polishuk | June 14, 2025 at 1:48pm CDT

The Reds announced that infielder/outfielder Ryan Vilade has been claimed off waivers from the Cardinals, and Vilade was optioned to Triple-A.  To create roster space, Cincinnati designated outfielder Jacob Hurtubise for assignment.

St. Louis designated Vilade two days ago, after Vilade had appeared in seven games during a brief stint on the Cards’ roster.  Signed to a minor league contract in December, Vilade hit an impressive .280/.375/.476 over 192 plate appearances with Triple-A Memphis to earn a selection to the Cardinals’ active roster at the end of May, though he had only one hit in 15 PA on the Cards’ active roster.

To some extent, this has been the story of Vilade’s pro career, as he had a .141/.200/.188 slash line in 71 PA over 27 career games in the majors with the Rockies, Tigers, and Cardinals.  His career .272/.353/.406 slash in 2093 Triple-A appearances is much more impressive, yet it hasn’t stood out quite enough for Vilade to get much in the way of regular playing time in the Show, nor has he hit anywhere near well enough to capitalize on his small sample.

While Vilade has played only as an outfielder and in one single game as a first baseman in the majors, he has some experience at all four infield positions, including time as a first, second, and third baseman with Memphis this year.  This expanded defensive repertoire seems like a logical way for Vilade to improve his usefulness to big league teams, and it might help him earn some bench time on a Reds team that is somewhat unsettled in teams of everyday regulars.  In particular, Vilade’s right-handed bat might help him become a complement within a Reds outfield overloaded with left-handed hitters.

That crowded outfield may have factored into the limited playing time that Hurtubise received in his first two MLB seasons, though the left-handed hitter has batted only .167/.291/.212 over 83 PA in the bigs.  This season, he made the Reds’ Opening Day roster but didn’t last long before being optioned, and then briefly returned to the majors in May.

An undrafted free agent for the Reds in 2020 (the year of the pandemic-shortened five-round draft), Hurtubise reached Triple-A for the first time in 2023, but his numbers at Cincinnati’s top affiliate have gone steadily downward over the last three years.  He has hit just .144/.336/.186 in 133 PA in Louisville this season, making him an expendable piece on the Reds’ 40-man roster despite some tremendous speed and base-stealing ability (124 steals in 147 chances in his minor league career).  Hurtubise can’t reject an outright assignment, so he would remain in the Reds’ organization if he clears waivers.

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Cincinnati Reds St. Louis Cardinals Transactions Jacob Hurtubise Ryan Vilade

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Reds Acquire Brian Van Belle

By Mark Polishuk | June 14, 2025 at 11:51am CDT

The Reds and Red Sox have each announced that right-hander Brian Van Belle has been traded to Cincinnati in exchange for cash considerations.  Boston designated Van Belle for assignment earlier this week, and he has now been assigned to Triple-A Louisville.

It has been a busy six days for Van Belle, who joined a big league roster for the first time on Monday when the Sox selected his contract from Triple-A.  Van Belle’s cup of coffee in Boston came and went without an official in-game appearance, so the 28-year-old is still awaiting his Major League debut.  Since Van Belle has experience as both a starter and a reliever, his first MLB game might well come with the Reds in a number of different roles if the club makes the call to Louisville.

Van Belle began his pro career with the Red Sox as an undrafted free agent in 2020, though he almost surely would’ve been selected if that year’s draft hadn’t been shortened to five rounds due to the pandemic.  Working his way up to Triple-A Worcester by the 2023 season, Van Belle has a 4.48 ERA, 21.7% strikeout rate, and 6.97% walk rate over 205 career innings at the Triple-A level.  He has started 29 of his 55 Triple-A games, working primarily as a reliever in 2024 and getting most of action as a starter in 2023 and 2025.

On paper, Van Belle might fit best in the majors as a multi-inning reliever, though Cincinnati will probably consider him for at least spot-start duty should a need arise within the rotation.  Ace Hunter Greene is on the 15-day injured list and seems likely to miss the rest of June while dealing with a groin strain and back/hip tightness, leaving the Reds a bit short on rotation depth now that Wade Miley has joined the starting five in Greene’s place.

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Boston Red Sox Cincinnati Reds Transactions Brian Van Belle

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Athletics Acquire Austin Wynns

By Mark Polishuk | June 8, 2025 at 11:04am CDT

The A’s announced that they have picked up catcher Austin Wynns in a trade with the Reds, with cash considerations heading back to Cincinnati in return.  To clear roster space for Wynns, the Athletics designated right-hander Carlos Duran for assignment.

Wynns was designated for assignment two days ago, as he had become the odd man out of the Reds’ catching mix when Tyler Stephenson returned from a season-opening stint on the injured list.  Wynns signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati during the offseason, and that contract was selected on Opening Day as Wynns and Jose Trevino went on to handle the catching duties for the next five weeks while Stephenson recovered from an oblique strain.

Ironically, another oblique strain has now opened the door to Wynns’ latest opportunity.  Shea Langeliers was placed on the Athletics’ 10-day IL with a strained left oblique on Friday, leaving the West Sacramento team with just Jhonny Pereda (36 career MLB games) and Willie MacIver (seven career games) as the top catching options.  Tyler Soderstrom has some catching experience but has suited up behind the plate just once in the last two seasons, so it makes sense that the A’s preferred to just bring in a veteran backstop rather than disrupt Soderstrom’s routine as a first baseman/left fielder.

The Athletics will be the seventh different organization Wynns has been part of during his career, and he has seen action with five of those clubs at the MLB level over his seven seasons in the bigs.  A .241/.287/.354 hitter over 716 career plate appearances, Wynns has quietly been extremely productive over his limited action with the Reds, as he posted an eye-opening .390/.429/.661 slash line in 63 PA since Opening Day 2024.  This gives Wynns a unique distinction, as he has the best wRC+ (198) of any Reds player in the entire 156-year history of the franchise, minimum 60 plate appearances in a Cincinnati uniform.

It is probably safe to assume that the 34-year-old Wynns won’t continue this kind of production with the A’s, even notwithstanding Sutter Health Park’s hitter-friendly nature.  Still, Wynns will provide the Athletics with some help behind the plate for however long Langeliers will be on the IL.  Manager Mark Kotsay didn’t give reporters (including MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos) a specific timeline for Langeliers’ recovery, citing the “tricky” nature of oblique injuries.

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Cincinnati Reds Oakland Athletics Transactions Austin Wynns Carlos Duran

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Reds Designate Austin Wynns For Assignment

By Steve Adams | June 6, 2025 at 1:27pm CDT

The Reds have designated catcher Austin Wynns for assignment, the team announced Friday. His spot on the roster will go to first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who is being reinstated from the injured list.

Wynns, 34, has hit brilliantly in limited time with Cincinnati, slashing .390/.429/.661 in 63 plate appearances dating back to last season. That includes a .400/.442/.700 line in 43 plate appearances in 2025. That outrageous output is propped up by a .513 average on balls in play, however, and it belies a career slash line of .241/.287/.354 for the journeyman Wynns.

Because Wynns is out of options, the Reds couldn’t simply send him to the minors. He’d first need to pass through waivers, which may well be where he’s headed now that he’s been designated for assignment. He’s a career .274/.363/.401 hitter in parts of seven Triple-A seasons — solid Triple-A production for any catcher, particularly a third one on a team’s depth chart.

Third catcher has indeed been Wynns’ role since Tyler Stephenson returned from an oblique strain. Stephenson and Jose Trevino have logged nearly all the time at catcher since Stephenson made his season debut. Wynns hasn’t logged a single plate appearance in June and tallied only seven trips to the plate in May, despite being healthy and on the active roster that entire time.

The Reds will have five days to trade Wynns before he has to be placed on outright waivers, though they could start the waiver process (which takes 48 hours) at any point between now and then. If Wynns does pass through waivers unclaimed — which he’s done eight prior times in his career — he’ll have the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency.

Encarnacion-Strand, 25, has been out since mid-April with a back injury. The Reds acquired him alongside Spencer Steer three years ago in the trade that sent Tyler Mahle to Minnesota. At the time, Encarnacion-Strand’s stock was on the rise. The former fourth-round pick was ripping through Triple-A pitching and looked poised to make the jump to the big leagues. He did just that in 2023 and hit well as a rookie: .270/.327/.477, 13 homers in 241 plate appearances.

Since that time, wrist and back injuries have tanked Encarnacion-Strand’s output at the plate. He’s never been one to take many walks and has always been too much of a free swinger, and both of those flaws have been magnified as his power has dissipated amid health troubles. Over the past two seasons, “CES” has only 183 plate appearances in the majors, during which he’s batted .179/.208/.295.

In the absence of Encarnacion-Strand, Steer has been playing first base regularly. It’s possible the Reds will slide the versatile Steer across the diamond to make room for Encarnacion-Strand at first base. Neither player is a good defender at the hot corner, however, and Santiago Espinal is also in the mix at third base. The Reds could begin to move Steer all over the diamond again, as they’ve done in the past, if the goal is everyday at-bats for Encarnacion-Strand at first base. If not, Encarnacion-Strand could slide into a more limited role as a righty-swinging power bat off the bench.

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Cincinnati Reds Transactions Austin Wynns Christian Encarnacion-Strand

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MLBTR Podcast: Jarren Duran Rumors, Caglianone And Young Promoted, And Pitching Injuries

By Darragh McDonald | June 4, 2025 at 11:57pm CDT

The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

  • MLBTR’s recently updated 2025-26 Free Agent Power Rankings (2:05)
  • The Padres having interest in Jarren Duran of the Red Sox (9:00)
  • The Royals calling up Jac Caglianone (17:55)
  • The Mariners calling up Cole Young (24:40)
  • The Dodgers acquiring Alexis Díaz from the Reds (28:30)
  • Ronel Blanco of the Astros requiring Tommy John surgery (35:15)
  • AJ Smith-Shawver of the Braves having been diagnosed with a torn UCL (42:25)

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • If the Diamondbacks can’t climb in the standings, what does their deadline look like? (48:45)
  • As a thought experiment, if the Orioles were willing to listen on Gunnar Henderson, what teams would even have the pieces to pull off a trade? (54:10)

Check out our past episodes!

  • Bregman Injured, Marcelo Mayer Called Up, And Pirates Talk – listen here
  • The Disappointing Orioles, Dalton Rushing, And The Phillies’ Bullpen – listen here
  • Devers Drama, Managerial Firings, And Jordan Lawlar – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images

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Arizona Diamondbacks Atlanta Braves Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Cincinnati Reds Houston Astros Kansas City Royals Los Angeles Dodgers MLB Trade Rumors Podcast San Diego Padres Seattle Mariners AJ Smith-Shawver Alexis Diaz Cole Young Jac Caglianone Jarren Duran Ronel Blanco

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Reds Sign Wade Miley, Place Hunter Greene On Injured List

By Steve Adams | June 4, 2025 at 9:35am CDT

9:35am: Miley’s deal pays him a prorated $2.5MM salary in the majors and comes with an additional $1.5MM available via incentives, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

8:57am: The Reds announced Wednesday that they’ve signed left-hander Wade Miley to a one-year, major league contract. The O’Connell Sports client recently opted out of a minor league deal with Cincinnati and briefly became a free agent, but he’s back in the fold and on the major league roster. To make room on the active roster, the Reds placed top starter Hunter Greene on the 15-day IL due to a groin strain. Top prospect Rhett Lowder, who’s been on the injured list all season due to a forearm strain, moves from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

Miley, 38, will return to the majors after a 14-month absence. The veteran southpaw made two starts for the Brewers last year but suffered a torn UCL during the second of those two outings. He openly contemplated retirement but wound up opting to undergo Tommy John surgery and give it one more go in the majors. He inked a minor league deal to return for a second stint with Cincinnati, where he pitched from 2020-21.

Miley’s 2025 season has been spent rehabbing from that UCL surgery. He’s had a rough stretch in the minors, though a disproportionate amount of the damage done against him came in his first game, when he yielded six runs in just 2 1/3 innings with the Reds’ High-A club. Some early rust is understandable, and while Miley hasn’t exactly dominated since that time, he’s pitched more effectively as he shakes off the rust. He’s lasted five innings in two of his past three starts, allowing two runs in one and keeping his opponents scoreless in the other. That pair of solid outings was encouraging, but they also bookended an ugly May 25 outing in which he allowed four runs and didn’t escape the first inning.

Overall, Miley has an 8.84 ERA on his rehab stint, but he’s been more good than bad recently. Clearly, the Reds felt his stuff looked good enough to place him onto the major league roster. They could’ve gone with top prospect Chase Petty or journeyman Aaron Wilkerson — both of whom are pitching well in Triple-A this season. Petty is already on the 40-man roster and has made a brief MLB debut already. Instead, Reds brass was encouraged enough by the work Miley has put in that they feel he merits a look in the majors.

Time will tell if Miley can still pitch effectively in the big leagues. He didn’t get much of a chance to do so in 2024 prior to that elbow injury, but from 2021-23, Miley logged a tidy 3.26 ERA across 320 1/3 innings between a trio of NL Central rivals: the Reds, Cubs and Brewers.

Getting back to that level is a tough ask for a 38-year-old coming off Tommy John surgery, but Cincinnati doesn’t need Miley to pitch like an ace. The Reds have received outstanding work from each of Greene (2.72 ERA in 59 2/3 innings), Andrew Abbott (1.51 ERA in 47 2/3 innings), Nick Lodolo (3.10 ERA in 69 2/3 innings) and Nick Martinez (3.89 ERA in 69 1/3 innings). If Miley can simply hold down the fort during Greene’s absence and pitch like a competent back-of-the-rotation arm, the Reds’ rotation would still be among the best in the sport.

Turning to the 25-year-old Greene, this will be his second IL stint of the season due to a groin injury. He missed two weeks in mid-May due to a similar injury. Greene was lifted from his most recent start due to recurring tightness, and he’ll now sit back down for at least another two weeks. He’s been among the best pitchers in the National League dating back to last year — combined 210 innings, 2.74 ERA, 28.5% strikeout rate, 8.4% walk rate — making his recovery a particularly notable one for the Reds. He’s in the third season of a six-year, $53MM contract extension signed in April 2023.

As for Lowder, his move to the 60-day IL is largely procedural. He’s already spent more than 60 days on the injured list, and the shift from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL does not reset his eligibility for a return. The 2023 No. 7 overall pick went out on a rehab stint from the forearm injury that’s plagued him in mid-May and looked to be trending toward a return before he suffered an oblique strain during one of his rehab starts. The Reds have since shut him back down from throwing. It’s notable that Lowder’s arm appears to be healthy again, but he’ll need to let that oblique strain mend for at least another couple weeks before starting from scratch on a new minor league rehab stint.

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Cincinnati Reds Newsstand Transactions Hunter Greene Rhett Lowder Wade Miley

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Reds To Add Joe La Sorsa To 40-Man Roster

By Anthony Franco | June 3, 2025 at 9:35am CDT

The Reds intend to select lefty reliever Joe La Sorsa onto their 40-man roster, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. He’ll remain with Triple-A Louisville, as the team will immediately option him back to the minors. Cincinnati has an open 40-man spot after last week’s Alexis Díaz trade, so there’s no need for a corresponding move.

La Sorsa triggered an upward mobility clause in his minor league deal over the weekend. That required the Reds to gauge interest from other teams in selecting his contract. If any other team were willing to do so, Cincinnati would either have to carry him on their own 40-man roster or let him join another team. They took the former approach to keep him in the organization, but he still has two minor league option years and can remain in Louisville through the end of next season if he holds his 40-man spot for that long.

The 27-year-old La Sorsa made 41 MLB appearances with the Rays and Nationals between 2023-24. He owns a cumulative 4.47 earned run average across 50 1/3 innings. La Sorsa’s sinker has sat in the 87-88 MPH range during his big league tenure. The lack of velocity has contributed to a below-average 19.2% strikeout rate. His velocity is up across the board this year in Triple-A. His sinker is sitting closer to 92 MPH, while he has pushed his sweeping slider from the mid-70s to north of 78 MPH on average. He’s running his four-seamer up to 94 MPH, though he has continued to lean on the sinker as his main pitch.

The uptick in stuff intrigued the Reds and presumably at least one other team. It hasn’t resulted in improved results, though. La Sorsa owns a 3.92 ERA with matching 16.1% strikeout and walk rates across 20 2/3 frames for Louisville. He’s getting whiffs on only 7.1% his offerings, which is two percentage points lower than last year’s Triple-A swinging strike rate. La Sorsa had managed a 2.25 ERA with much better command over 56 innings in the Nats’ system last season. The Reds will give him some more time to try to establish the command of his bigger stuff.

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Cincinnati Reds Transactions Joe La Sorsa

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Reds’ Wade Miley Triggers Opt-Out; Joe La Sorsa To Exercise Upward Mobility Clause

By Nick Deeds | May 31, 2025 at 11:59pm CDT

June 1: Wittenmyer now reports that Miley has triggered his opt out and has become a free agent.

May 31: Southpaw Joe La Sorsa is currently on a minor league deal in the Reds organization, but Ari Alexander of KPRC2 reports that the lefty plans to utilize the upward mobility clause in his contract, which is scheduled to go into effect on June 1. In addition, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that the Reds face a decision on southpaw Wade Miley. The veteran signed a minor league deal back in January that granted him a uniform opt out opportunity on June 1, as it does for all Article XX(B) free agents. According to Wittenmyer, the organization anticipates that Miley will exercise that opt-out opportunity if Cincinnati declines to add him to their 40-man roster before then.

La Sorsa, 27, is an interesting relief arm who has two seasons of experience in the majors with the Rays and Nationals. He posted a 4.47 ERA with a 4.61 FIP across 50 1/3 innings of work between the 2023 and ’24 campaigns, though his strikeout rate of 19.2% over his time in the majors is rather pedestrian. Alexander writes that La Sorsa has added more than five ticks of velocity to his fastball relative to 2024, bringing it up to 94 mph. Impressive as that jump in velocity might be, his stats are fairly pedestrian at Triple-A so far this year. While he’s posted a 3.92 ERA in 20 2/3 innings of work this year, his identical 16.1% strikeout and walk rates suggest the lefty is something of a project who will need to make further adjustments before he can become a quality contributor in the majors.

With that being said, the upside of a lefty pitcher with a mid-90s fastball is certainly tantalizing, and given that La Sorsa has options remaining it would not be a shock to see a team take a shot on him. Teams will have 24 hours to claim La Sorsa and put him on their 40-man roster, though the Reds can prevent him from departing by putting him on their own 40-man. If he goes unclaimed and the Reds decline to add him to their 40-man, La Sorsa will remain with the club at Triple-A going forward.

Turning to Miley, the 38-year-old veteran of 14 MLB seasons is certainly the bigger name of the two lefty pitchers the Reds are at risk of losing tomorrow. Miley has more than 300 starts in the majors under his belt and boasts a career 4.07 ERA (103 ERA+) with a 4.15 FIP. The lefty underwent Tommy John surgery after just two appearances with the Brewers last year and is still in the midst of his rehab following that procedure. While an aging veteran who is rehabbing from major surgery on a minor league deal isn’t exactly the type of pitcher that normally jumps out as a potentially impactful addition, Miley has arguably gotten better with age: from 2018 to 2023, his posted a 3.43 ERA (131 ERA+) with a 4.24 FIP in 582 2/3 innings of work.

A mid-to-back of the rotation veteran like that would normally be a slam dunk to be added to the club’s roster, making the opt-out somewhat irrelevant. Unfortunately, Miley is still shaking off the rust after his long layoff in somewhat hit-or-miss rehab starts; he’s pitched to a 5.93 ERA in four rehab starts at Triple-A this month, and while that includes an encouraging outing where he allowed just two runs in five innings of work he’s also striking out just 11.1% of his opponents across these outings. Perhaps there are pitching-hungry teams who would like to roll the dice on the veteran, but it would be understandable if the Reds weren’t one of them given their solid rotation of Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, Nick Martinez, and Brady Singer.

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Cincinnati Reds Transactions Joe La Sorsa Wade Miley

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Reds Trade Alexis Díaz To Dodgers

By Steve Adams | May 29, 2025 at 11:50pm CDT

The Dodgers acquired reliever Alexis Díaz from the Reds for minor league right-hander Mike Villani on Thursday afternoon. Los Angeles transferred Evan Phillips to the 60-day injured list to create a spot on the 40-man roster. According to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, Díaz will report to the Dodgers’ Arizona facilities to work with the club’s pitching team.

Diaz, 28, has seen his stock drop precipitously since finishing fifth in 2022 Rookie of the Year voting and making the All-Star team in 2023. He’s lost nearly three miles per hour off his once-96 mph fastball and seen his already problematic walk rate climb to untenable levels. He appeared in six games with Cincinnati this season, surrendered four homers, walked 15.6% of his opponents against just a 9.8% strikeout rate, and plunked two other batters — all en route to a catastrophic 12.00 ERA.

Things haven’t gone much better since he was sent down to Louisville. Diaz’s 4.61 ERA is a far sight better than his small-sample mark of 12.00 in the majors, but he’s walked 17.1% of his Triple-A opponents, hit two more batters and also unleashed a pair of wild pitches. His 93.1 mph average fastball is right in line with the career-worst 93.0 mark he flashed in this year’s six major league innings.

Were Diaz’s struggles confined to just the 2025 season, it’d be easier to view him through a more optimistic lens. That’s not the case. While last year’s 3.99 ERA looks serviceable on the surface, that number belies many of the same worrying trends that have plagued Diaz in 2025. Last year’s average 93.9 mph fastball marked a drop of nearly two miles per hour from Diaz’s rookie rate. His 22.7% strikeout rate and 11% swinging-strike rate were both miles worse than his rates in 2022-23. Diaz’s contact rate jumped from about 67% in 2022-23 to 76.3% last year (and a dismal 87.1% in 2025). All of those worrying trends made Diaz stand out as a viable non-tender candidate, but the Reds kept him around and agreed to a $4.5MM contract to avoid an arbitration hearing. They’re surely regretting that decision at this stage.

Suffice it to say, while Diaz has plenty of name value — both as a former All-Star and as the younger brother of Mets closer Edwin Diaz — he’s a pure project at this point. The Dodgers made no mention of cash considerations in their swap, so it seems they’ll take on the entirety of Diaz’s remaining salary. As of this writing, that’s a total of $2.95MM in salary. Los Angeles will pay a 110% luxury tax on that figure, tacking another $3.25MM onto the bill and bringing the total financial outlay to $6.2MM.

That’s a steep price to pay — before even getting into any prospects changing hands — but if L.A. can successfully get Diaz back on track, he’ll be under club control for three additional seasons via arbitration. Entering the year, that was scheduled to be another two seasons, but his demotion to Triple-A has already cost him enough service time to push that timeframe back by a year. The Dodgers passed on a similar buy-low opportunity with Brewers righty Joel Payamps, who was designated for assignment and passed through waivers, presumably on account of Payamps’ lack of minor league options. Diaz entered 2025 with a full slate of minor league options and will have two remaining beyond the current season.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Dodgers keep Diaz on the 40-man roster. There’d be some risk in running him through waivers, but most clubs would probably balk at the idea of taking on nearly $3MM in guaranteed money for a reclamation project who’s struggled this much both in the majors and in Triple-A. If the Dodgers were to pass Diaz through waivers, they could assign him outright to Triple-A and free the 40-man spot back up, knowing that Diaz would never reject the assignment in favor of free agency (because doing so would require forfeiting the remainder of this year’s guaranteed money).

As for the 22-year-old Villani, he’s a long-term play for the Reds. The Dodgers selected him out of Long Beach State in the 13th round of last year’s draft. Baseball America ranked him 453rd on their top-500 list of draft prospects last year, praising a fastball that runs up to 98 mph but questioning his lack of spin and feel for secondary pitches. Villani commands that heater well, per BA, but he’s barely gotten a chance to show it in pro ball, as injuries have limited him to just two innings with the Dodgers’ Rookie-level affiliate.

Villani is effectively a lottery ticket relief prospect who’s probably two or three years away from even emerging as a realistic option for the Reds — all of which speaks to the extent to which Diaz’s stock has tumbled since he stopped missing bats and lost two to three miles per hour on his fastball.

Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman of The New York Post first reported the Dodgers were nearing a trade for Diaz. Robert Murray of FanSided reported that Villani was going back to Cincinnati.

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Cincinnati Reds Los Angeles Dodgers Newsstand Transactions Alexis Diaz Evan Phillips Mike Villani

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Rhett Lowder Suffers Oblique Strain

By Anthony Franco | May 23, 2025 at 10:43pm CDT

The Reds received some difficult news on the pitching front this week. Rookie right-hander Rhett Lowder, who has been out all season with a forearm strain, suffered a new injury during a rehab start at Triple-A Louisville on Thursday.

Manager Terry Francona told reporters (including Mark Sheldon of MLB.com) that Lowder sustained a “fairly significant” strain of his left oblique. Francona noted that the team still didn’t know the specific timeline as they awaited the results of imaging from Friday morning. In any case, it’s certainly going to delay his return to the big league rotation.

Lowder, 23, was the seventh overall pick in the 2023 draft. The Wake Forest product flew through the minors and received his first MLB call last August. That was motivated partially by injury, but he maintained his rotation spot through the end of the season and took the ball six times. Lowder managed a 1.17 ERA across his first 30 2/3 big league innings. His MLB strikeout and walk numbers weren’t nearly as impressive, but he’d fanned more than a quarter of opponents against a 5.4% walk rate over 22 minor league starts.

That positioned him to compete for a spot at the back of the rotation in Spring Training. Lowder reported some elbow soreness during his offseason throwing program, leading the Reds to slow-play him and have him begin the season on the injured list. They sent him to their Arizona complex on May 6. He made one High-A appearance five days later and jumped up to Louisville on May 16. Lowder only recorded one out and allowed four runs during his first start with the Bats. He suffered the injury yesterday on his first pitch of the second inning after tossing a scoreless frame in the first.

The Reds figure to pull Lowder off his current rehab assignment. They’ll probably move him to the 60-day injured list when they next need to create a 40-man roster spot. That would backdate to Opening Day and would not impact his eligibility for reinstatement beyond this weekend.

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Cincinnati Reds Rhett Lowder

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