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Reds Place Matt Davidson On COVID-19 Injured List

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Prior to today’s game, the Reds placed infielder Matt Davidson on the ten-day COVID-19 injured list after Davidson tested positive for the virus.  Aristides Aquino and right-hander Tejay Antone were called up from Cincinnati’s minor league training site to fill the roster spots left by Davidson and by catcher Tucker Barnhart, who went on the paternity list.

Davidson was in the starting lineup for Friday’s 7-1 Cincinnati victory over Detroit, so in the wake of this positive test, surely there must be some concern within the Reds clubhouse about whether others could have been infected.  As noted by Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Reds haven’t had any coronavirus cases since prior to the opening of Summer Camp, when two players tested positive during the initial round of intake testing.

Davidson signed a minors contract with the Reds over the offseason, and Friday’s game marked his first bit of Major League action since the 2018 season.  While Davidson slugged 46 homers over 939 PA for the White Sox in 2017-18, he wasn’t a productive offensive player overall, with a .224/.291/.435 slash line.  Davidson has also dabbled with pitching, though the Reds seems to be focusing on him as a position player only.

Aquino was the talk of baseball last summer after he slugged 15 homers and posted a 1.129 OPS over his first 124 plate appearances, though he quickly cooled off after that incredible start.  He’ll now get another chance at playing time, and could be aided by the existence of a DH spot rather than having to fight for space in a crowded Reds outfield.

Antone was a fifth-round pick for the Reds in the 2014 draft, and he’ll head to the big leagues after posting a 3.74 ERA, 2.80 K/BB rate, and 6.8 K/9 over 611 1/3 career minor league innings.  A grounder specialist, Antone is ranked 20th on MLB Pipeline’s list of the top prospects in Cincinnati’s farm system.

Predict The NL Central Winner

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With final roster decisions in the books and the 2020 season underway at long last, it’s time to make some predictions. We’ve started to poll the MLBTR readership on each of the game’s six divisions — starting with the AL Central. With plenty more teams primed to crack the postseason under the inclusive new playoff qualification system, let’s jump the pond and take a look at the NL Central.

Kyle Hendricks gave the Cubs an early lead in the division yesterday with a 2 1/2 hour complete game shutout of the Brewers. The Reds were right there with them in blowing away the Tigers. Many believe the Reds won the offseason, and their beefed-up lineup looks to bullrush the rest of the division. Matt Davidson took the Reds’ DH at-bats in game one, but newcomers Mike Moustakas and Nicholas Castellanos will cycle through as well. The pitching is underrated, and they’re going to be a force. The Brewers roll out two of the most impactful rostered players in the sport in Josh Hader and Christian Yelich, a dangerous pair of superstars in a short season. The Pirates are an organization in transition, and if they manage a string together a competitive 60-game season, it’ll be a surprise. Until a new champ is crowned, however, the Cardinals remain the toast of the NL Central. With Carlos Martinez back in the rotation and Matt Carpenter set to take a healthy slate of DH at-bats, the 2020 Cardinals are a slightly different shape, but no less formidable.

Which team do you think is the best of the bunch? (Poll link for app users.)

Predict The 2020 N.L. Central Division Winner
Cardinals 33.94% (3,928 votes)
Reds 27.71% (3,208 votes)
Cubs 21.69% (2,511 votes)
Brewers 12.67% (1,466 votes)
Pirates 3.99% (462 votes)
Total Votes: 11,575

Braves To Acquire Scott Schebler

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2:03pm: This deal is now official. Cash considerations will go to Cincinnati in return.

12:47pm: The Braves have struck a deal to acquire outfielder Scott Schebler, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes reports on Twitter. Schebler had been designated for assignment by the Reds.

This’ll give the Atlanta organization another potential power bat to add to the mix. Schebler will take a spot on the team’s 40-man roster and 60-man player pool. Since he’s out of options, he’ll also have to be added to the active roster.

Schebler will rejoin former outfield mate Adam Duvall as depth options. The Braves have now added several power-oriented players in recent days, with Schebler joining Matt Adams as lefty bench bats.

Though he popped thirty long balls in 2017, Schebler has generally failed to reach base at a sufficient clip to feature as an above-average hitter. He owns a .240/.318/.443 lifetime batting line through five MLB campaigns.

Last year was a particularly rough one for Schebler, who scuffled badly through 30 MLB games. Things weren’t much better at Triple-A, where he limped to a .216/.274/.325 slash over 212 trips to the plate.

Schebler was likely hampered by a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery. He’s now back to full strength and ready to take a crack at reestablishing himself in the majors.

Reds Finalize Opening Day Roster

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The Reds announced this morning that they’ve filled the final two spots on their 30-man roster by selecting the contracts of infielders Christian Colon and Matt Davidson. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, right-hander Justin Shafer and left-hander Josh D. Smith were designated for assignment.

Colon, 31, returns for a second season with the Cincinnati organization. The former No. 4 overall draft pick (Royals, 2010) spent the bulk of the 2019 season with the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate in Louisville, hitting .300/.372/.443. He joined the big league club late in the year but only tallied eight plate appearances. Colon has played second base, third base and shortstop in the Majors, but he’s never justified that lofty draft status. In 150 big league games, he’s a .256/.321/.318 hitter.

The 29-year-old Davidson was a top pick himself in 2009 (No. 35 to the White Sox) and long rated as one of MLB’s top 100 prospects. Strikeout issues have long plagued the slugger, however, and in parts of four big league seasons he’s a .226/.295/.435 hitter with 49 home runs and a 34.5 percent strikeout rate. Davidson, who hit .264/.339/.527 with the Rangers’ Triple-A club in 2019, was at one point experimenting with a role as a two-way player. However, he’s only tossed three professional innings, and the Reds listed him as a pure infielder.

Both Colon and Davidson will give the Reds some infield depth off the bench, but they’ll likely take a back seat to Josh VanMeter and perhaps Kyle Farmer in that regard.

Shafer, meanwhile, has been designated for assignment by his second team in eight months. The Blue Jays designated him last November after a shaky showing in his first 48 MLB frames. Shafer turned in a solid 3.75 ERA in that span, but he also walked 32 batters and plunked another two in that time. His 5.52 FIP paints a much less favorable picture. Shafer has excelled in both Double-A and Triple-A, and he still has a pair of minor league option remaining — all of which likely appealed to the Reds when they acquired him (for cash) shortly after his original DFA. Cincinnati will have a week to trade Shafer, release him, or try to pass him through outright waivers.

Smith, 30, made his MLB debut last season but struggled to a 6.39 ERA in 12 2/3 innings between Cleveland and Miami. He’s worked 164 frames across four Triple-A seasons and carries a 3.02 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in that time. The Reds claimed him off waivers from the Marlins this past offseason.

Multiple Teams Reportedly Interested In Josh Harrison

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Infielder Josh Harrison returned to the free-agent market when the Phillies released him Tuesday, but he may not be without a team for long. The Braves, Reds, Yankees and Rangers have all shown interest in Harrison, Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets.

If Harrison does land another contract, it’s likely to be a minor league deal, as his pact with the Phillies was. Now 33 years old, Harrison earned two All-Star trips as a Pirate from 2011-18, but his production in Pittsburgh plummeted during his final season with the club and continued to decline in Detroit in an injury-shortened 2019 campaign. Harrison managed a horrid line of .175/.218/.263 (22 wRC+) in 147 plate appearances last year, leading the Tigers to release him in August despite handing him a guaranteed $2MM before the season.

At best, Harrison would likely be a bench option at second and third for any of the teams eyeing him. The Braves have Ozzie Albies at the keystone and Austin Riley at the hot corner. Harrison’s native Cincinnati boasts big-money offseason pickup Mike Moustakas at second and 49-home run man Eugenio Suarez at third. Meanwhile, the Yankees look to be in good shape at the two positions with DJ LeMahieu (who should soon return after a coronavirus-caused absence) and Gio Urshela/Miguel Andujar. So, Texas could arguably present the best opportunity for Harrison, considering second baseman’s Rougned Odor’s immense struggles in 2019 and the lack of a clear solution at third.

Reds Place Anthony DeSclafani On 10-Day Injured List

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5:00pm: DeSclafani is only expected to miss one start, GM Nick Krall told reporters (Twitter link via The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans).

12:18pm: The Reds announced today that right-hander Anthony DeSclafani will open the season on the 10-day injured list due to a “mild” right teres major strain. A timetable for his expected recovery was not provided. The move is retroactive to Monday.

The 30-year-old DeSclafani missed all of the 2017 season and struggled in his 2018 return before enjoying a quality bounceback effort in 2019. Last year saw the righty work to a 3.89 ERA and 4.43 FIP with career-bests in both K/9 (9.0) and total strikeout percentage (24.0). DeSclafani also averaged just 2.7 walks per nine frames and turned in a 42.9 percent ground-ball rate. Like many pitchers in the league, his HR/9 mark was well above his career levels (1.57 versus 1.20), but last year’s juiced ball surely played a role in that.

DeSclafani’s 94.7 mph average fastball velocity last year was a career-high for the righty, as was his 10.1 percent swinging-strike rate. DeSclafani went to his sinker less than in prior years, instead favoring a four-seamer more regularly, and he upped his curveball usage at the expense of some sliders as well. The overall result was a quality year from a pitcher who was building a nice free-agent case. He’ll hit the open market for the first time this winter, so a lengthy absence will be particularly problematic for the right-hander. It’s encouraging, though, that the club made sure to term the strain as “mild” in nature, though they’ll surely provide additional info on his recovery process in the coming days.

With DeSclafani opening on the IL, fellow righty Tyler Mahle might be the favorite to slot into the rotation behind the talented quartet of Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo, Trevor Bauer and Wade Miley. Cincinnati’s 30-man roster currently has just 28 players, so some additions will likely be announced today or tomorrow.

Reds Add Hunter Greene, Mark Kolozsvary To 60-Man Player Pool

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The Reds have announced a few roster moves, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic was among those to report. They have two new additions to their 60-man player pool in right-hander Hunter Greene and catcher Mark Kolozsvary. The club also selected the contract of reliever Nate Jones, who will make its season-opening roster, and optioned infielder Alex Blandino.

Greene may be the most notable name in the group, as he went second overall in the 2017 draft and then signed with the Reds for a record-setting $7.23MM bonus. Unfortunately, though, Greene’s coming off a major injury. He underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2019, thereby preventing him from pitching at all last season and building on his 2018 effort. While the hard-throwing Greene only pitched to a 4.48 ERA across 68 1/3 innings in Single-A ball that year, he did notch a 3.29 FIP with 11.72 K/9 and 3.03 BB/9.

Kolozsvary, 24, was also part of the Reds’ 2017 draft class. The former seventh-rounder has topped out so far in High-A ball, where he put up an unconventional line of .188/.341/.321 with six home runs in 291 plate appearances last season.

Reds Return Rule 5 Pick Mark Payton To Athletics

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4:03pm: Payton has indeed been added to the Athletics’ player pool, the team announced.

3:02pm: The Reds have returned Rule 5 pick Mark Payton to the Athletics, per a club announcement. The 28-year-old outfielder was not claimed by another club on waivers. It’s not yet clear if he’ll be part of Oakland’s 60-man player pool.

Last season was Payton’s first in the Oakland organization, and he made an impression with a gaudy .334/.400/.653 batting line in 447 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. Payton bashed a career-best 30 home runs last year, albeit in an extremely hitter-friendly setting amid a leaguewide home run surge. (The Triple-A ball was the same as the MLB ball last year.) That said, Payton also altered his swing and hit fly-balls at a career-high rate in 2019, so the uptick in power wasn’t solely attributable to the league context.

Unfortunately for Payton, the Reds added multiple high-profile outfielders to a group that already included Nick Senzel, Jesse Winker, Aristides Aquino and Phil Ervin. Cincinnati signed both Nick Castellanos and Shogo Akiyama this winter, leaving Payton as a long-shot to make the club — even with an expanded roster. That crammed outfield already led to a DFA for Scott Schebler and Payton’s return to the A’s, but outfielder Travis Jankowski has been told he’ll make the Reds’ Opening Day roster, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets.

Reds Release Derek Dietrich

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Reds utilityman Derek Dietrich has requested and received his release from the team, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com tweets. Dietrich, whom the Reds brought back on a minor league contract over the winter, just joined their player pool last week after a positive coronavirus test. He excercised an opt-out clause, meaning he won’t be able to re-sign with the Reds this year, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic notes.

For the Reds and Dietrich, this ends what was briefly a very fruitful relationship. The former Marlin signed a minors pact with the Reds heading into 2019, earned a roster spot and then went into the summer as one of the game’s hottest hitters. Dietrich posted a ridiculous .304/.400/.841 line with 12 home runs in just 80 plate appearances in May, but his production cratered after that. He finished the season a .187/.328/.462 hitter with 19 homers in 341 PA, though that line was still 2 percent better than league average, according to FanGraphs’ wRC+ metric.

The 31-year-old Dietrich, to his credit, has consistently been a better-than-average offensive player since his career started in 2013. He owns a lifetime triple-slash of .246/.334/.427 (108 wRC+) with 79 HRs in 2,438 trips to the plate, though most of the lefty-swinger’s damage has come against righties. Defensively, Dietrich has garnered extensive experience at several positions (first, second, third and left). While Dietrich hasn’t graded particularly well at any of those spots, his versatility in the field and history of respectable offense should enable him to catch on elsewhere.

Reds Designate Scott Schebler For Assignment, Add Brooks Raley To 40-Man Roster

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The Reds have added left-handed pitcher Brooks Raley to the 40-man roster and have designated outfielder Scott Schebler for assignment, as reported by Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Schebler, a mainstay on Reds teams of 2017 and 2018, has seen himself swiftly fall out of favor with the club as it collects a new crop of young outfielders. Jesse Winker, Phil Ervin, Nick Senzel, and Aristides Aquino have overtaken Schebler for playing time, and new arrivals Nicholas Castellanos and Shogo Akiyama only further cut into Schebler’s role.

Last year was a disaster for the 29-year-old Schebler, who limped to a .123/.253/.222 batting line, albeit in just 95 plate appearances. In the two years prior, however, Schebler was a different player, even reaching the 30-homer benchmark in 2017. From 2017-2018, he notched a .785 OPS while playing all three outfield positions on a consistent basis. That’s a player who can provide some value for a team, and teams with a thin outfield mix should have some interest in Schebler, who must either be traded or exposed to the other 29 teams via waivers in the next 7 days. Should he pass through waivers, he may then be released or assigned outright to the minors. That’s not a given, though, and he may be worth a claim as a depth outfielder.

Raley, meanwhile, is a particularly interesting case: the 32-year-old southpaw hasn’t appeared in a Major League game since 2013, when he was with the Cubs. After a stint in the Angels’ and Twins’ minor league systems, he commuted to South Korea, where he’s played in the KBO since 2015.

He’s getting a chance with the Reds this year as a non-roster invitee, and now he’s parlayed that into a spot on the 40-man roster. Nothing is certain, but there’s a decent chance he cracks Cincinnati’s Opening Day 30, joining a bullpen that will be key to the Reds’ performance this year. There’s no question that the rotation can be up there with the best in the National League, but the bullpen will need to collectively improve if they’re to compete in the Central division.

In five seasons with the KBO’s Lotte Giants, Raley threw 910 2/3 innings, making at least 30 starts every year. He struck out a total of 755 batters and posted a 4.13 ERA. Last year was his best in terms of home run prevention, but he also surrendered more walks than ever.

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