- Nicky Delmonico went to high school with Reds centerfielder Nick Senzel, and they may have a chance to be teammates in Cincinnati. Delmonico is 6-for-17 in Spring Training after signing a minor league deal. That performance, as well as his ability to play first base, has the Reds considering selecting the non-roster invitee’s contract, per Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Shogo Akiyama will start the year on the injured list, and with first baseman Joey Votto uncertain for Opening Day after contracting COVID-19, Delmonico’s particular brand of versatility may fit the bill. In four seasons with the White Sox, Delmonico owns a .224/.312/.384 triple slash line across 574 plate appearances with a 24.0 percent strikeout rate and solid 9.8 percent walk rate.
Reds Rumors
Jonathan India And The Reds’ Grand Experiment
Jonathan India’s impressive play is forcing the Reds (and Eugenio Suarez) to pivot. The 24-year-old infielder is looking more-and-more likely to make the roster, per Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. It wasn’t the plan to break camp with India at the keystone, but the former No. 5 overall pick of the 2018 draft has forced the issue by hitting .333/.474/.633 this spring. To make room, the Reds will need to pull off the unorthodox move of shifting their third baseman up the defensive spectrum – again.
Last year it was free agent signee Mike Moustakas continuing an experiment begun in Milwaukee and sliding to second base from the hot corner – which was occupied by Suarez. At the benefit of Moustakas’ 109 wRC+ bat, they weathered the storm of passable, if uninspired defense at second (-3 DRS, 0.0 UZR, 0 OAA). Now, Moustakas may return to the hot corner.
Meanwhile, Suarez, now 15 pounds lighter, will slide to shortstop where he began his Major League career with the Tigers back in 2014. He hasn’t played more than a dozen innings up the middle since 2015, however. Since the Reds began trying out Suarez at shortstop just a few days ago, the experiment has quickly become more strategy than gimmick. Defensive metrics frowned upon Suarez’s glovework last he tried to captain the infield (-12 DRS, -10.4 UZR in 96 games in 2016), but in fairness, his bat has the potential to justify the sacrifice. Even in a down year, Suarez was four percent better than average at the plate in 2020. Of course, to make this experiment worthwhile, he’ll need to be closer to the 134 wRC+ hitter he was in 2018-19.
Beyond India’s impressive spring, the Reds may also be attempting to cover for a relative dearth of proven shortstops on the roster. If not Suarez, the top contenders are Kyle Farmer, a 30-year-old former catcher with 10 career starts at short, and Dee Strange-Gordon, 33 in April, who owns an unimpressive 80 wRC+ over 2,131 plate appearances dating back through 2016 and hasn’t started more than seven games at shortstop since 2013. Even then, when he was still in his athletic prime, defensive metrics weren’t kind to his glovework. As of now, it’s not even clear if the non-roster invitee will be added to the 40-man roster. Jose Garcia, 22, might be the long-term solution, but the consensus is that he overreached in 2020 – evidenced by a .194/.206/.194 line in 68 PA – and needs more seasoning in the minors.
If India indeed gets the nod at second, as seems likely, it could be argued that the Reds will have third basemen at five positions around the diamond: both India and likely centerfielder Nick Senzel were drafted as third basemen, Suarez has spent five consecutive seasons at third, Moustakas will be positioned at third, and right fielder Nicholas Castellanos spent the first four years of his career as a third baseman with the Tigers. Essentially, if a player on the Reds throws right-handed, it’s safe to assume he was, at some point, a third baseman. Given their experience in this niche, whether or not you’re a believer, it’s hard to argue that the Reds don’t know what they’re doing.
Whether the offense has enough gravity to overcome their defensive shortcomings will be fascinating to track throughout a full 162-game season. If the Reds pull it off, they’ll have identified an unlikely market advantage during an era known for innovation: the ability to transition third basemen up the defensive spectrum.
Amir Garrett To Make Spring Training Debut Saturday
- Good news for the Reds’ bullpen: Left-hander Amir Garrett will pitch in his first spring training game of the year Saturday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic tweets. Forearm soreness has slowed Garrett, perhaps the favorite to close for the Reds if he’s healthy. The 28-year-old notched a 2.45 ERA/2.82 SIERA and fanned hitters at a massive 37.7 percent rate across 18 1/3 innings in 2020.
Reds Considering Using Eugenio Suarez At Shortstop
Eugenio Suarez hasn’t gotten significant reps at shortstop since 2015, but the Reds may use him there this season. With Suarez having lost 15 pounds since last season, the team is considering him as an option at short, manager David Bell told Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer and other reporters Monday. He’ll start there for the team in its game against the Rockies on Tuesday.
Suarez has been the Reds’ primary third baseman since 2016, but the team has a capable hot corner replacement in Mike Moustakas, who has spent the majority of his career at the position. Moustakas was mostly a second baseman last season, and he’s penciled in as the Reds’ starter at the keystone this year. However, if Suarez shifts to short, it could open up second for Jonathan India, Nightengale notes. India, the fifth overall pick in the 2018 draft, hasn’t played above the Double-A level yet, though Bell said last week that the 24-year-old has a legitimate chance to make the Reds’ Opening Day roster.
When the offseason began, expectations were that the Reds would acquire a shortstop in free agency or via trade (Didi Gregorius, Marcus Semien, Andrelton Simmons and Ha-Seong Kim were all on the open market), as Freddy Galvis, Jose Garcia and Kyle Farmer combined for just 0.1 fWAR at the spot. Galvis has since left for the Orioles, while Garcia was clearly in over his head in his first major league action. Nevertheless, the Reds didn’t sign any shortstops to a big league deal or land a proven option in a trade, and it could now lead them to reinstall Suarez at the position this year.
Suarez has the bat for shortstop, having slashed .261/.342/.473 with 162 home runs in 3,433 plate appearances, but it’s up in the air whether the 29-year-old would perform well in the field. In 96 games at short in 2015, Suarez posted miserable marks with minus-12 Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-10.4 Ultimate Zone Rating.
Latest On Wade Miley
The Reds have gotten some unfortunate injury news over the last few days, but it appears as though southpaw Wade Miley won’t miss any time after a hamstring strain forced him out of his last Spring Training outing. As per Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link), Miley threw close to 35 pitches in a bullpen session yesterday and is now slated to start for the Reds tomorrow. After signing a two-year, $15MM contract with the Reds in the 2019-20 offseason, Miley’s first season in Cincinnati was a veritable wash, as he posted a 5.65 ERA and was limited to only 14 1/3 innings due to groin and shoulder injuries. Miley and the Reds are certainly hoping for a return to form, as Miley is expected to eat innings and provide some veteran experience at the back of the rotation.
Shogo Akiyama To Begin Season On Injured List
Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama will be sidelined for “a few weeks” due to a left hamstring injury, manager David Bell told The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans (Twitter link) and other reporters. Akiyama suffered the injury on Saturday when trying to beat out a grounder at first base, and he was removed from the game prior to the Reds’ next turn in the field.
The timing means that Akiyama will begin the season on the 10-day injured list, and depending on the severity of the injury and the rehab/prep time Akiyama will have to put in at the alternate training site, it’s possible the Reds could be without the outfielder until around the middle of April.
After nine seasons as a standout with the Seibu Lions, Akiyama signed a three-year, $21MM deal with Cincinnati in January 2020. Given all of the unique difficulties of the 2020 season, it is rather hard to properly judge Akiyama’s first season in Major League Baseball, though he did show some positive signs. Akiyama’s overall .245/.357/.297 slash line in 183 plate appearances was marred by a very slow start, as he recovered to hit .333/.474/.383 over his final 76 PA of the regular season.
With a more normal offseason and some MLB experience now under his belt, there is reason to believe Akiyama can continue to be a productive player for the Reds, though the team wasn’t relying on him as an everyday option. Cincinnati’s first-choice starting outfield of Jesse Winker, Nick Senzel, and Nicholas Castellanos means that Akiyama was slated to be a well-paid fourth outfielder, though he was likely to get a lot of action as a defensive sub and as a fill-in for Senzel in center field against some right-handed pitchers.
In Akiyama’s absence, Aristides Aquino and Scott Heineman now stand better chances of winning Opening Day roster spots as Cincinnati’s top backup outfielder. Minor league signing Dee Strange-Gordon can also fill in as a center fielder in a pinch, when he isn’t needed in the infield.
Sonny Gray Likely To Begin Season On Injured List
Sonny Gray was scratched from a scheduled Cactus League outing today due to a recurring back issue that will likely put the right-handed on the injured list to begin the season. Gray told The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Bobby Nightengale and other reporters that he has been dealing with back spasms for the past month, and since he’ll need time to ramp back up after being shut down for a few days, he will probably miss the season’s first week.
“The way we’ve all kind of thought about it was, do we take five or six days right now and completely try to knock it out so you’re a week behind to start the season or eight days or whatever it ends up being? Or do you just keep going and maybe it turns into a larger issue and then maybe you miss 10 starts,” Gray said.
Since IL placements can be backdated by three days, a minimum 10-day injured list visit would result in Gray missing the Reds’ first six games, thanks to an off-day in the schedule. Since the Reds are also off on April 8, it would theoretically line Gray up for his season debut April 9 against the Diamondbacks if his injury recovery goes as planned.
As Gray noted, both he and the Reds surely want to be as cautious as possible, though Gray’s absence does create a larger void in Cincinnati’s rotation that has taken some hits in recent days. Fifth starter candidate Tejay Antone left today’s game with a minor groin strain, while Wade Miley left a game earlier this week due to a hamstring injury. While there has yet to be word the seriousness of these injuries, should IL placements also be required, the Reds would be starting the year with a provisional rotation of Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle, Michael Lorenzen, Jeff Hoffman, and Jose De Leon. Cincy picked up another arm today by claiming Carson Fulmer off waivers from the Pirates.
Reds Claim Carson Fulmer
The Reds announced they’ve claimed right-hander Carson Fulmer off waivers from the Pirates. Pittsburgh designated Fulmer for assignment last week to create 40-man roster space after acquiring Duane Underwood Jr.
Fulmer has pitched parts of five seasons at the major league level and has yet to find much success. Over 105 career innings, he has just a 6.34 ERA/5.41 SIERA. Fulmer has posted worse than average strikeout (18.9%), walk (13.9%) and groundball (37.5%) rates.
In spite of the poor results, the 27-year-old has continued to attract interest around the league. Within the past eight months, the former eighth overall pick has been claimed off waivers by the Tigers, Pirates (twice) and Orioles. In each situation, the claiming team had been near the top of the league by waiver priority. Fulmer fell a little farther down the waiver order this time around, but he’ll find another landing spot nonetheless.
It’s hardly a surprise to see the Reds put in a claim for Fulmer. The Cincinnati organization has been rather open about their affinity for pitchers with high spin rates, and Fulmer certainly qualifies. The 27-year-old sat in the 91st percentile in fastball spin and 88th percentile in curveball spin last season, per Statcast. While that has yet to translate to MLB performance, there’s no harm for the Reds in taking a flier. Fulmer is out of minor league options, so he’ll need to either break camp with the big league club or else again be offered to rival teams.
Shogo Akiyama Leaves Game With Hamstring Injury
- Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama left tonight’s game with a tight left hamstring and will be re-evaluated tomorrow. In his first MLB season, Akiyama hit .245/.357/.297 in 183 PA, though he hit significantly better in September and October once he became more adjusted to Major League pitching. Between this improved bat and some solid glovework, Akiyama was being counted on for at least a big part-time role in Cincinnati’s outfield, though those plans could be altered should his hamstring injury prove serious.
Jonathan India, Brandon Finnegan Could Make Reds' Roster
- After the Reds added infielder Jonathan India and left-hander Brandon Finnegan to their major league spring roster on Friday, manager David Bell told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com and other reporters that “they’re officially” in the running to make the team. India, the fifth overall pick in the 2018 draft, reached the Double-A level in 2019 and batted .270/.414/.378 with three homers, four steals and almost as many unintentional walks (22) as strikeouts (26). Finnegan, once a top 100 prospect, appeared with the Reds in each season from 2015-18, but shoulder problems had a negative effect on him during that stretch. He put up a 7.40 ERA with 15 unintentional walks and 14 strikeouts over 20 2/3 frames in his most recent MLB season.
