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Austin Wynns Accepts Outright Assignment With Reds

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June 25: Wynns cleared waivers and has accepted an outright assignment back to Louisville, tweets Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

June 23: The Reds announced this morning that they’ve designated catcher Austin Wynns for assignment. The move opens up a spot on the active roster for infielder Livan Soto, who has been recalled to the majors from Triple-A.

Wynns, 33, was brought up to the majors by the Reds on Friday to act as a third catcher behind Tyler Stephenson and Luke Maile while Stephenson has been day-to-day with an unknown issue. Evidently, whatever concern the club had regarding Stephenson has passed as the 27-year-old returned to the starting lineup behind the plate today after pinch hitting in yesterday’s game. The catcher is now set to depart the Reds without having made an appearance at the big league level for the club.

The 33-year-old got his start in pro ball as a tenth-round pick by the Orioles back in 2013. He made his big league debut with Baltimore in 2018 and served as a backup for the club behind the plate in parts of the 2018, ’19, and ’21 seasons. He hit just .216/.255/.326 during that time but was generally regarded as a solid defender behind the plate. The Orioles outrighted Wynns off their 40-man roster shortly after the 2021 season concluded, allowing him to test free agency. He found a minor league deal with the Phillies in relatively short order but was swapped to the Giants in June of 2022 and was selected to the club’s 40-man roster when the Giants demoted former top prospect Joey Bart to Triple-A.

Wynns found some success with the Giants in 2022 as he broke out with the bat, slashing a decent .241/.315/.356 (93 wRC+) across 177 plate appearances in that time. Despite that solid success, Wynns nonetheless found himself outrighted off the roster in San Francisco last January. He accepted that outright assignment with the club and found himself added back to the 40-man roster in early April of last year when Roberto Perez was sidelined by a rotator cuff strain, but made it into just one game before being designated for assignment. Wynns briefly caught on with the Dodgers later that month but was designated for assignment once again in early May. His tour of the NL West continued when he was claimed off waivers by the Rockies, and that turned out to be a more permanent home for the veteran as he remained with Colorado through the end of the season, appearing in 45 games but hitting just .214/.273/.282 in that time.

Once again on the open market after being outrighted off the Rockies’ 40-man last October, Wynns found a split big league deal with the Reds back in December and remained with the club even after being outrighted to the minors in January. Looking ahead, Cincinnati will have one week to either trade the journeyman or attempt to pass him through waivers and outright him back to the minor leagues. Although Wynns would have the ability to reject that outright assignment, it seems as though he would be unlikely to do so given the nature of his split contract with the club, which offers him a $300K salary in the minor leagues.

As for Soto, the infielder appeared in 22 games with the Angels between 2022 and 2023 and made the most of that playing time, slashing .375/.414/.531 over the course of his 71 big league trips to the plate. Soto nonetheless found himself designated for assignment by the Angels this past offseason, and he was claimed multiple times by both the Orioles and Angels throughout the early stages of the season before he was finally claimed by the Reds in early April after what proved to be an eventful winter for the 24-year-old. The youngster’s unsustainable .469 BABIP at the big league level suggests that he won’t be able to keep that fantastic slash line up in his third stint in the big leagues, but even Soto’s .292/.384/.385 slash line at the Triple-A level this year would make him a useful bench piece for the Reds infield mix.

Reds Place Nick Lodolo On Injured List, Recall Yosver Zulueta For MLB Debut

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The Reds announced Tuesday that they’ve placed lefty Nick Lodolo on the 15-day injured list due to a blister on his left index finger and recalled righty Yosver Zulueta in his place. If Zulueta gets into a game, he’ll be making his MLB debut. Francys Romero first reported early this morning that Zulueta was being called up for his debut.

The 26-year-old Lodolo’s IL placement is retroactive to yesterday. He lasted just 4 2/3 innings in that start and issued four walks in his shakiest start in over a month. While injuries like blisters and cracked fingernails can seem minor on the surface, they can often make it difficult for a pitcher to properly grip his pitches, depending on their placement. A blister on the fingertip of the index finger would make it particularly difficult for Lodolo to execute his curveball, which he’s thrown at a 28% clip this season. He’ll let the issue cool down for the next couple weeks in hopes of a quick return.

Lodolo has been the Reds’ most effective starter this season, pitching to a 2.96 ERA in 70 innings. He’s fanned 25.1% of his opponents against a sharp 6.5% walk rate. This will be his third IL placement of the season, having previously missed time due to minor groin and calf injuries. He’s also spent time on the 60-day injured list in each of the past two seasons, owing to back and calf injuries.

With Lodolo shelved for what’ll presumably be a relatively brief stay on the IL, the Reds’ rotation will be down to Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Frankie Montas and Carson Spiers. Right-hander Graham Ashcraft, who was optioned to Triple-A earlier this month, has tossed consecutive quality starts since being sent down and yielded a total of four runs in 12 innings with a 12-to-2 K/BB ratio. He could be in the mix to come back to the big league roster in short order and step into Lodolo’s vacated rotation spot, but for the time being the Reds will add Zulueta to give their bullpen an extra arm.

Zulueta, 26, has pitched in 23 games this season and logged 30 2/3 innings of 2.93 ERA ball with a strong 28.3% strikeout rate and elite 60.5% ground-ball rate — but also an ugly 14.5% walk rate. The right-hander came to the Reds via an Opening Day waiver claim after he’d been designated for assignment. In parts of three seasons at the Triple-A level between the two organizations, the Cuban-born righty has a 3.71 ERA, 26.2% strikeout rate and 15.4% walk rate.

Reds Place TJ Friedl On Injured List, Select Levi Jordan

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The Reds announced that outfielder TJ Friedl has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain. In a corresponding move, the club has selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Levi Jordan. There was already a vacancy on the 40-man roster, which is now full.

It’s turning out to be a very frustrating season for Friedl, as this is already his third IL stint this year. A right wrist fracture and a left thumb fracture previously sent him to the shelf and now this hamstring strain has him back there again.

Around those injuries, he hasn’t been able to get into a good groove, with a line of .208/.309/.354 in his 111 plate appearances. That’s a far cry from the .267/.341/.456 line he had coming into the season, but it’s possible that the injuries have played a role in diminishing his performance, either because he’s been playing at less than one hundred percent or just hasn’t had enough runway to get in good form.

Speaking of not playing at full health, Friedl missed some time with this hamstring issue on Tuesday and Wednesday but was back in the lineup last week. “There was some risk involved in playing TJ last night,” manager David Bell said on Saturday, per Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer on X. “I listened to the trainers and TJ. It felt like we made the right decision. There was definitely risk.” In hindsight, taking that risk wasn’t the wise move, as Friedl is now out of action yet again. Today, Bell says that Friedl was around 80 to 85% yesterday and will hopefully be back in two to three weeks, per Goldsmith on X.

Notable absences have been a big part of the Cincinnati season thus far, with Noelvi Marté having missed the whole campaign thus far due to a PED suspension while injuries have hampered players like Friedl, Matt McLain, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and several pitchers as well. The club is 36-41 and still hanging around the weak Wild Card race, but the ongoing injury issues could hamper them in their attempts to climb in the standings.

For now, Friedl’s absence will pave the way for Jordan to get to the big leagues for the first time. Now 28, Jordan was a 29th-round pick of the Cubs back in 2018. He was never really a notable prospect during his time with the Cubs and they even left him unprotected in the minor league portion of last year’s Rule 5 draft.

The Reds grabbed him in the third round of the minor league phase of the Rule 5 and he has put together arguably his best minor league performance to date. He has hit .302/.384/.443 in Triple-A this year for a wRC+ of 118. The only time he had a wRC+ above that was during a 24-game stint at Double-A in 2022. In addition to his solid offense this year, he has stolen six bases while playing second base, third base and the outfield. He also has some past experience at shortstop and first base. He’ll give the Reds some depth all over the roster and will make his major league debut tonight. He’s in tonight’s lineup, playing right field and batting eighth.

Reds Outright Conner Capel

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Outfielder Conner Capel has cleared waivers and been outrighted to the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate.  Capel had the option of rejecting the outright assignment in favor of free agency because he has previously been outrighted in his career, but The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith (X link) reports that Capel will indeed report to Triple-A Louisville.

The Reds designated Capel for assignment earlier this week, a month after optioning him down to the minors after a five-game cup of coffee on the big league roster.  Capel signed a minor league contract with Cincinnati over the offseason and had that contract selected in early May, with Capel receiving eight plate appearances in his five games.

A veteran of three Major League seasons, Capel made his MLB debut with the Cardinals in 2022, making a strong first impression with a .308/.356/.519 slash line in 59 plate appearances with St. Louis and (after a September waiver claim) Oakland.  Capel didn’t receive much of a longer look in 2023, however, as he appeared in just 32 games for the A’s with 86 trips to the plate.  All in all, the 27-year-old has a career .278/.359/.398 slash line in 153 PA over 59 games in the Show.

Capel’s minor league numbers are more solid, as he has hit .259/.354/.435 with 43 home runs in 1430 career PA at the Triple-A level.  He has also stolen 52 bases in 71 attempts, and has played mostly center field in the minors while also getting a lot of playing time at the two corner outfield slots.  This skillset makes Capel a useful player to have as depth either on a big league bench or in the upper minors, so he’ll continue to bide his time in Louisville awaiting his next opportunity in Cincinnati.

Reds Designate Conner Capel For Assignment

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The Reds announced that they have selected the contract of catcher Austin Wynns. In corresponding moves, they have optioned outfielder Jacob Hurtubise and designated outfielder Conner Capel for assignment.

It’s unclear why the Reds have added a third catcher to their roster, as they already have Tyler Stephenson and Luke Maile on the team. It’s possible that something is up with Stephenson, as he has only been in the starting lineup twice since Saturday, serving as the designated hitter in one of those two.

This is pure speculation but he has been hit on the hand by a pitch a few times this year, which could be part of the problem. Back on June 6, x-rays on his hand came back negative, per C. Trent Rosecrans on X. But he has hit .111/.250/.185 since that date, perhaps suggesting something is amiss.

Whatever the reason, the 33-year-old Wynns has been added to the roster. In the offseason, he was signed to a major league split deal that would pay him $950K for time spent on the major league roster and $300K in the minors. He was later designated for assignment and passed through waivers. As a player with between three and five years of service time, he could have elected free agency but doing so would have meant forfeiting that money.

He therefore reported to Louisville and gets back to the majors today. He has a pretty tepid batting line of .226/.273/.324 in his major league career and his work at Triple-A this year has only been slightly better at .252/.310/.408. But he has received solid grades for his defense in recent years, with Statcast being particularly fond of his work controlling the running game, as he comes in the top ten on their catcher throwing leaderboard since the start of 2021.

To get Wynns onto the roster, the Reds have bumped off Capel. The 27-year-old was selected to the roster in early May but only appeared in five games before being optioned back down. He has been in pretty good form in Louisville, having hit eight home runs and drawn walks in 16.7% of his 192 plate appearances. He is slashing .226/.361/.439 at that level for a 109 wRC+ despite a .248 batting average on balls in play.

The Reds will now have a week to trade Capel or pass him through waivers. He is in his final option year so perhaps he will garner interest from a club with a 40-man roster spot available and a need for outfield depth. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he has a previous career outright and would therefore have the right to elect free agency.

Reds Select Brooks Kriske

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The Reds announced that they have selected the contract of righty reliever Brooks Kriske and optioned him to Triple-A Louisville. Since he is being added to the roster but kept in the minors, he likely had an opt-out of some kind in his contract that the Reds didn’t want him to trigger. To open a 40-man roster spot for him, infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

That presumed opt-out provision won’t immediately get Kriske back to the big leagues, but he was able to leverage it into a spot on the 40-man roster. The 30-year-old inked the minor league deal not long before Christmas. He has made 27 appearances with Louisville, working to a 3.64 earned run average over 29 2/3 innings. Kriske has missed bats in bunches, fanning a third (40 of 120) of the opponents he’s faced.

While Kriske has shown intriguing stuff, he hasn’t had particularly fine command. He has walked more than 14% of opposing hitters with the Bats. That’s not a new issue. Kriske has a lofty 12.7% walk rate in parts of three Triple-A campaigns. His 16.5% mark over 20 career major league appearances is even less tenable — one reason he has allowed 28 runs in 21 1/3 MLB frames.

Kriske’s brief major league time has been split between three franchises. He divided the 2020-21 seasons with the Yankees and Orioles and pitched in four games for the Royals a season ago. Getting onto the 40-man gives him a good chance to return to the big leagues with the Reds at some point. It might take an injury to someone in the current ’pen to do so. Cincinnati only has three relievers in the MLB bullpen who have minor league options: Alexis Díaz, Fernando Cruz and Sam Moll. None of them are getting sent down.

Encarnacion-Strand has been out since the early part of May with a fracture and ligament damage in his right wrist/hand area. His season is in jeopardy depending on whether he needs to undergo surgery. In any case, he certainly won’t be back anytime soon.

Season-Ending Surgeries Possible For Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Brandon Williamson

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TODAY: Williamson will forego surgery for now, Bell told Mark Sheldon (X link) and other reporters, and has instead received injections in his ailing shoulder.  The southpaw will be shut down for at least three weeks to see how his shoulder responds to the treatment, and will then resume throwing if improvement is shown.

JUNE 11: Two players on the Reds may need to go under the knife, according to David Bell, as relayed by Mark Sheldon of MLB.com (X link) and Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer (X link). Infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand has ligament damage in his fractured hand while left-hander Brandon Williamson has a lesion in his shoulder. Both players will be evaluated in the coming days with season-ending surgery possible for each of them.

Encarnacion-Strand debuted with a splash last year, hitting 13 home runs in his first 63 major league games. He slashed .270/.328/.477 for a wRC+ of 112 while playing first and third base, as well as a brief stint in right field.

That showing got him the everyday first base gig coming into 2024, though the season hasn’t played out the way he or the club hoped. He produced a tepid line of .190/.220/.293 this year before landing on the injured list in early May. He had been hit on the hand by a pitch at the end of April. X-rays after that HBP were negative but revealed an “old fracture” in one of his bones, per Wittenmyer. He continued playing for a little bit longer before eventually being placed on the IL.

He’s been on the IL for over a month now and it seems some further testing discovered some ligament damage. “Surgery is an option,” Bell said today, per Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer on X. “We’re hopeful he can start progressing. If that’s what he and the specialist decide.”

As for Williamson, he’s been on the injured list all year due to a shoulder strain that was diagnosed in spring training. He had been on a rehab assignment of late but that was shut down last week due to continued discomfort.

Once a top 100 prospect, Williamson went from the Mariners to the Reds as part of the March 2022 trade that sent Eugenio Suárez and Jesse Winker to Seattle. Williamson made his major league debut last year with a 4.46 earned run average that obviously isn’t too exciting, but it’s perhaps notable that his results improved as he got acclimated to the majors. He had a5.82 ERA in his first eight outings but then a 3.79 ERA in his final 15.

The Reds’ season has been significantly affected by absences of potential contributors so far this year. Noelvi Marté received an 80-game PED suspension and has been away from the team all year, while players like Encarnacion-Strand, Williamson, Matt McLain, Nick Lodolo, TJ Friedl and others have missed time due to injuries.

Lodolo and Friedl have since returned to the club and McLain could perhaps rejoin the club in August. If either Encarnacion-Strand or Williamson or both end up requiring surgery, it will deprive the club of another such return later in the year.

The club slumped badly in May but have been quite hot of late, with seven wins in their past eight games. Their 32-34 record isn’t especially impressive but it puts them just half a game back of a playoff spot in the relatively weak National League playoff race. Assuming they hang around the postseason picture in the coming weeks, they may be able to address these issues, if the surgeries are eventually deemed necessary.

For now, Lodolo, Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott and Frankie Montas are in four rotation spots with one opening due to the recent optioning of Graham Ashcraft. Internal options to fill the spot include Nick Martinez and Carson Spiers. Williamson would be in that mix if healthy but he would naturally be subtracted if he ends up undergoing the surgery.

On the infield, Spencer Steer has been the regular first baseman lately, with Jonathan India at second, Jeimer Candelario at third and Elly De La Cruz at shortstop, while the designated hitter spot has largely been used to rotate the club’s many outfielders into the lineup. If Encarnacion-Strand were healthy, Steer could have been moved to third or DH or a corner outfield spot, though that possibility is clearly not an option at the moment and may not come into the play at all for the remainder of 2024.

Reds Notes: Marte, Candelario, Rotation

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The Reds’ offense has underwhelmed as a whole this season — as have many lineups around the game — entering play Thursday with a tepid .226/.307/.372 batting line that clocks in 10% worse than league-average, per wRC+. Cincinnati ranks 13th in the majors in runs scored and 17th in home runs, but that’s largely been a function of situational hitting. Overall, Reds hitters rank 27th in batting average, 19th in on-base percentage and 21st in slugging percentage. They have baseball’s seventh-best walk rate, but also the game’s sixth-highest strikeout rate.

Injuries have played a large role. Matt McLain has been out all season due to shoulder surgery. TJ Friedl has only been able to take 80 plate appearances due to a pair of bad-luck fractures (one in his right wrist, another in his left thumb). Christian Encarnacion-Strand struggled when healthy and is now dealing with both a fracture and ligament damage in his hand, which could cost him the remainder of the season.

Another key factor in the Reds’ offensive struggles has been the absence of third baseman Noelvi Marte, who was hit with an 80-game suspension this spring after testing positive for a banned substance. Marte is gearing up for a return, however. The Reds have played 68 games this season, and the 22-year-old Marte recently went out on a Triple-A assignment to ramp up for his return to play. He’s appeared in two games and gone 3-for-10 with a trio of singles and three strikeouts so far.

Certainly, any time a player is hit with a PED-related ban, their prior offensive performance generates some skepticism among fans. Marte, who hit .316/.366/.456 (120 wRC+) with three homers and seven doubles in 123 plate appearances as a rookie, will have his share of doubters. But he’s long ranked among the game’s most promising prospects and has stunningly consistent results from the minors up through the majors. Marte hit between .271 and .281 at every stop from Low-A, to High-A, to Double-A to Triple-A. His on-base percentage at each of those stops fell between .356 and .369 (lining up with his .366 OBP in last year’s MLB debut). His slugging, similarly, clocked in between .451 and .464.

Marte will be eligible to return to the team later this month and could provide an immediate boost to a club that has seen its third basemen combine to bat just .215/.275/.407. Most of that has been Jeimer Candelario (.226/.294/.494 at the hot corner), though utilityman Santiago Espinal has also played at the hot corner and struggled when there.

Candelario recently spoke with MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon about his early slump this season, preaching the importance of remaining calm and positive during his difficult start to the season. The switch-hitting veteran batted just .189/.282/.379 through the end of April but has since heated up. Over his past 153 trips to the plate, Candelario is slashing .292/.333/.563 with nine homers, ten doubles, a triple, a 5.2% walk rate and a 17.6% strikeout rate.

Manager David Bell praised Candelario’s upbeat nature and even-keel demeanor in the face of his April struggles, telling Sheldon that the glowing reviews of Candelario’s personality and demeanor played into the team’s offseason interest in him. “Everyone we talked to about Jeimer had nothing but positive things to say,” said Bell. “Very important, not only the character in the clubhouse but being a hitter, the stability he provides our lineup.” Catcher Tyler Stephenson offered similar praise about what Candelario has meant to teammates.

Once Marte comes back, Candelario could slide across the diamond and handle first base on a regular basis, stepping in for the injured Encarnacion-Strand and pushing Spencer Steer back to the outfield on a more regular basis. That’d make for a deeper and more consistent lineup.

The offensive side of the game isn’t the only place the Reds have been upended, however. A potentially season-ending shoulder issue for lefty Brandon Williamson and some notable struggles from righty Graham Ashcraft have created uncertainty at the back of the starting rotation as well. While swingman Nick Martinez, who inked a two-year deal worth $26MM over the offseason, is always an option to step into a starting role, it seems the club will give an opportunity to young righty Carson Spiers in the near-term.

Bell said this week that Spiers will step into the rotation Monday (X link via Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer). The 26-year-old Spiers has appeared in five games for Cincinnati this season but worked in a multi-inning relief role. In 19 1/3 frames, he’s notched a tidy 2.33 earned run average with a below-average 18.8% strikeout rate against an excellent 5% walk rate. He’s been similarly effective in a starting role down in Triple-A Louisville. Through nine appearances (eight starts), the 6’3″ righty touts a 2.51 ERA with a 25.4% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate.

It’s not clear yet whether Spiers will be afforded a long-term audition or whether he’ll be ousted in the event that Ashcraft turns a corner down in Louisville after being optioned, but the undrafted 2020 free agent will have some control over his own fate when he takes the mound Monday at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park to take on the division-rival Pirates.

MLBTR Podcast: Injured Astros, The Chances Of Bad Teams Rebounding In 2025 And More

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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 Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

  • The Astros have lost several players to injury but general manager Dana Brown insists they will be deadline buyers (0:45)
  • With so few teams clearly out of contention, signs are pointing towards a seller’s market at the deadline (7:20)

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Out of the five worst teams right now (Athletics, Angels, White Sox, Marlins and Rockies), who most needs to replenish their farm system and who could possibly turn things around by 2025? (11:20)
  • The Guardians need a right-handed right fielder with power. Who is a viable target? (20:40)
  • Will the Marlins to try trade Jesús Luzardo and Jazz Chisholm Jr.? (24:30)
  • Could you see Alex Anthopoulos of the Braves trying to get Kevin Gausman from the Blue Jays? (28:35)
  • How active will the Reds be at the deadline? (32:15)
  • Should the Dodgers acquire Javier Báez from the Tigers and move Mookie Betts back to the outfield and/or option Gavin Lux? (35:40)

Check out our past episodes!

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

Reds Sign Justus Sheffield To Minor League Deal

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The Reds have signed left-hander Justus Sheffield to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He’s been assigned to the Complex League for now but will presumably move up to a higher affiliate after getting into game shape.

Sheffield, 28, will be looking to get back on track after some disappointing results in recent years, though he was once thought to be a future mainstay in the big leagues. Cleveland selected him 31st overall in the 2014 draft and the lefty was twice used as a notable piece of a significant trade. He was sent to the Yankees as part of the 2016 deadline deal that sent Andrew Miller the other way, then was traded to the Mariners after 2018 as part of the deal that sent James Paxton to the Bronx.

He was clearly a hot commodity during that time, looking at that draft selection and his inclusion in those trades. Baseball America ranked him as one of the top 100 prospects in four straight seasons from 2016 to 2019, putting him as high as #27 in the last of those years. That was based on a very strong 2018 campaign, wherein Sheffield tossed 116 innings between Double-A and Triple-A with a 2.48 earned run average, 25.9% strikeout rate and 10.5% walk rate. He also made a brief major league debut with the Yanks, while just 22 years old, before going to Seattle in the aforementioned Paxton trade.

But his time in Seattle didn’t see him deliver on his huge prospect hype. He generally floundered with the Mariners and even struggled with their Triple-A team in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He currently sports a 5.47 ERA in 186 major league innings, spread out over the 2018 to 2022 period. He got ground balls on 49.5% of balls in play in that time but his 18.2% strikeout rate and 10.6% walk rate were both subpar.

He also tossed 244 1/3 minor league innings from 2019 to 2022 but had a 5.49 ERA in that time, again with fairly uninspiring peripherals. He struck out 21.2% of batters who stepped to the plate while giving out free passes 10.3% of the time.

The Mariners tried moving him to the bullpen, giving him ten relief appearances in Triple-A to start 2023, but his struggles continued and he was released in late April. He landed a minor league deal with Atlanta and that club let him return to the rotation, but he wasn’t able to turn things around with the change of scenery. He finished the year with a 7.63 ERA in 63 2/3 frames between the two organizations. He struck out just 19.9% of batters faced while giving out walks at a 15.2% clip.

He returned to free agency at the end of the season and has lingered there until this deal. For the Reds, there’s little harm in signing this deal and getting an up-close look at Sheffield. Despite his many trials and tribulations, he’s still almost two years away from his 30th birthday, which gives him plenty of time to engineer a second act.

If the Reds plan to stretch him out as a starter, it will likely take a few weeks for him to build up his pitch count. They do have some question marks in their rotation, as Graham Ashcraft was recently optioned to the minors after some poor results and Brandon Williamson had his rehab shut down due to continued discomfort in his throwing shoulder.

For now, the Cincinnati rotation consists of Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott and Frankie Montas, with guys like Nick Martinez, Carson Spiers, Connor Phillips, Lyon Richardson and Christian Roa candidates to take Ashcraft’s spot. In the longer term, Montas is an impending free agent while Martinez has an opt-out at the end of this year, meaning the depth could be thinned down the road. Though on the other hand, prospect liks Rhett Lowder and Chase Petty are currently in Double-A and will climb into the mix eventually.

Sheffield has less than three years of service time and one option year remaining. If he can get his performance back to his prospect days and earn a roster spot, he could provide the club with some rotation depth and the possibility for long-term benefit if things go especially well.

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