- The Reds scratched infielder Jeimer Candelario from their lineup against the Dodgers earlier today due to neck stiffness, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Candelario, 30, struggled in the early going of his first season with the Reds but has begun to heat up in recent weeks with a .279/.343/.492 slash line in his last sixteen games. It’s not yet clear if Candelario will be out for longer than today’s game, but even a brief absence would be a brutal blow for a Cincinnati club that is already without Matt McLain, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and TJ Friedl due to injuries as well as Noelvi Marte due to a PED suspension. Santiago Espinal and Spencer Steer are starting tonight at third and first base, respectively, and figure to handle the infield corners for as long as Candelario is out of action.
Reds Rumors
Reds Outright Bubba Thompson
TODAY: Thompson has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Double-A Chattanooga, the Reds announced.
MAY 23: The Reds announced Thursday that they’ve designated outfielder Bubba Thompson for assignment in order to create 40-man roster space for righty Brett Kennedy, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Louisville. Kennedy will take the 26-man roster spot of reliever Emilio Pagan, who’s being placed on the 15-day injured list due to tightness in his right triceps.
Thompson appeared in 17 games for the Reds but received only 18 plate appearances. He’s among the fastest players in MLB — if not the fastest — but has long had struggles at the plate, thus relegating him to a defensive replacement and pinch-running role. He went 2-for-18 with a double and five steals in his small handful of plate appearances but also punched out a glaring 11 times (61.1%).
A first-round pick by the Rangers in 2017, Thompson was a multi-sport star and legitimate football prospect as well prior to his selection and the signing of a $2.1MM bonus out of the draft. He’s now seen time in parts of three MLB seasons but is just a .232/.273/.295 hitter (58 wRC+) with a huge 32% strikeout rate and just a 4.2% walk rate. Thompson’s speed is off the charts, and he showed a bit of pop with 16 minor league big flies in 2021 and another 14 homers in 2022.
However, Thompson has still struggled to refine his approach at the plate even in the upper minors. He’d been playing with Cincinnati’s Double-A affiliate at the time of his DFA and, in 37 trips to the plate, carried a .200/.243/.314 slash. Thompson does have a .284/.347/.440 output in 145 Triple-A games, but that comes out to around league-average when adjusting for the electric run-scoring environment in the Pacific Coast League.
This is Thompson’s fifth DFA since last August. He’s yet to make it through waivers. The Royals claimed him off waivers from Texas but subsequently lost him to the Reds in October. When Cincinnati designated Thompson for assignment in late December, the Yankees put in a claim — only to DFA him again just weeks later. The Twins claimed Thompson but, like the Yankees, designated him for assignment after only a couple weeks, at which point the Reds claimed him a second time. He’s been with Cincinnati since that point but will now be traded or placed on waivers yet again within the next five days.
Kennedy, 29, has pitched in parts of two big league seasons: 2018 with the Padres and 2023 with the Reds. He’ll now get a second stint in Cincinnati and hope for better results than he turned in last year, when he was tagged for 13 runs in 18 innings. Kennedy has spent the 2024 season in the Louisville rotation but been roughed up for a 6.86 ERA in 40 2/3 frames (eight starts). His 18.9% strikeout is below-average by around five percentage points, but his excellent 4.7% walk rate is nearly half the league-average rate.
Kennedy will add some length to the bullpen in place of Pagan, who inked a surprising two-year, $16MM deal with the Reds this offseason — one that allows him the opportunity to opt out at season’s end. It was a surprise fit, given Cincinnati’s homer-happy stadium and Pagan’s longstanding penchant for big home run totals but also big strikeout rates. True to form, Pagan has already served up four taters in 19 1/3 innings of work (1.86 HR/9) but also punched out a substantial 30.5% of his opponents. He’s sitting on a 4.19 ERA to begin his Reds tenure, but his season will now be paused for at least the next couple weeks as he lets that ailing triceps mend.
The Reds’ Surprisingly Tepid Offense
The Reds went into the year with plenty of optimism. Their young core had surprisingly threatened for a playoff berth and finished above .500 in 2023. The front office followed up by committing more than $100MM -- including nearly $62MM in 2024 salaries alone -- on the free agent market. Cincinnati was a trendy choice to take what looked like a wide open NL Central (and would've been my pick to win the division before a couple key Spring Training injuries).
While it's too soon to write them off entirely, the Reds haven't come close to the heightened expectations through the season's first two months. They're eight games below .500 and above only the Marlins and Rockies in the National League. A lineup loaded with talented young hitters should drive this team to success. Thanks to a combination of injury and a handful of key players underperforming, they've instead had one of the worst offenses in the majors.
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Emilio Pagan Leaves Game Due To Triceps Injury
- Emilio Pagan had to be removed from the Reds’ 3-2 loss to the Dodgers today after the reliever felt some pain in his triceps area. “It felt like my triceps overstretched right in the middle,” Pagan said told MLB.com and other media, though “it wasn’t sharp pain. It wasn’t a grab.” Pagan will be examined by team doctors during the Monday off-day, but an initial round of tests created some hope that the issue isn’t serious. Pagan’s 54.2% hard-hit ball rate is among the highest in baseball and he is having his usual trouble keeping the ball in the park, but the right-hander has limited the damage to a 4.19 ERA over 19 1/3 innings thanks to an outstanding strikeout rate.
Reds Place Nick Lodolo On Injured List
3:10pm: Lodolo spoke to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com and framed the IL stint as precautionary. He expects to return after a minimum stay on the IL.
12:35pm: The Reds announced that left-hander Nick Lodolo has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 12, due to a left groin strain. Left-hander Sam Moll was recalled in a corresponding move.
It’s unclear exactly when Lodolo got hurt or how severe the injury is. He took the ball for the club on Saturday and threw 98 pitches over six innings. Up until this IL announcement, there wasn’t any indication that he wouldn’t be making his scheduled start on Thursday.
Further updates from the team will provide more information on the next steps, but it’s a frustrating development regardless. Lodolo has shown incredible talent when on the field in his young career but injuries have continued to get in the way.
In 2022, he was called up to the big leagues in mid-April but was limited to 103 1/3 innings over 19 starts, missing time due to a lower right back strain and left calf tendinitis. Last year, a stress reaction in his left tibia held him to just seven starts. His continued to experience discomfort in his left leg during Spring Training this year, which forced him to start the season on the IL and miss the first couple of weeks.
Despite all those challenges, the results have been great. He had a 3.66 earned run average in 2022, striking out 29.7% of batters faced while keeping 46% of balls in play on the ground. He struggled in his seven starts last year with a 6.29 ERA in those, but bounced back here in 2024. Through 35 innings in six starts, he currently sports a 3.34 ERA with a 30.7% strikeout rate, 6.4% walk rate and 44.6% ground ball rate.
To see him land on the IL again is unfortunate in a vacuum, but even more so given the other injuries on the roster. The Reds came into this season looking to take a step forward after the 2023 season saw them graduate an army of young prospects to the majors and narrowly miss the playoffs.
But injuries have been playing a big role so far this year, as each of Christian Encarnacion-Strand, TJ Friedl, Matt McLain, Tejay Antone, Ian Gibaut, Brandon Williamson and Alex Young are on the IL. On top of that, Noelvi Marté received an 80-game PED suspension and will miss the first half of the season.
With that pile of talent not available, the club has naturally struggled to perform as hoped. They are currently 18-24 and tied for last in the National League Central. There’s still lots of time for them to gain ground but Lodolo’s absence will make it more challenging.
Nick Martinez has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen this year, so he would appear to be the most likely to take over Lodolo’s spot now. Martinez last pitched on Sunday, throwing 21 pitches, and could perhaps give the club at least a few innings tomorrow. He’ll slot into the rotation next to Andrew Abbott, Hunter Greene, Graham Ashcraft and Frankie Montas.
If another injury should occur before Lodolo or Williamson are healthy, the Reds have Connor Phillips, Lyon Richardson, Christian Roa and Carson Spiers on the 40-man roster and currently on optional assignment.
Reds Place TJ Friedl On Injured List With Thumb Fracture
Reds center fielder TJ Friedl sustained a broken left thumb and has been placed on the 10-day injured list. Cincinnati recalled outfielder Jacob Hurtubise from Triple-A Louisville to take the open roster spot.
It’s a tough blow for Friedl, who only returned from the IL last week. The 28-year-old missed the season’s first six weeks after breaking his wrist during Spring Training. He played six games and tallied 24 plate appearances before being hit by a Kyle Harrison pitch leading off yesterday’s game against the Giants. Friedl came out of the game, with Will Benson sliding from right to center field in his place. Jake Fraley came off the bench to man right field.
Friedl was one of the Reds best players in 2023. He frequently occupied one of the top two spots in the batting order and turned in a .279/.352/.467 line across 556 plate appearances. Friedl connected on 18 home runs and stole 27 bases while playing solid center field defense. It was borderline All-Star production overall, making him a key contributor to a Cincinnati team that came up just shy of the postseason.
They’ll now be without Friedl for another undetermined period of time. Benson and Stuart Fairchild took the majority of the center field reps early in the season. Neither player has provided much offensively. That has contributed to a lack of production throughout the lineup. Cincinnati ranks 28th in on-base percentage and 26th in slugging despite playing in one of the sport’s most hitter-friendly home parks.
Hurtubise, 26, joins the outfield mix for the first time. A West Point graduate, he signed with the Reds as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Despite lacking much prospect fanfare, he played his way onto the 40-man roster last winter thanks to huge on-base numbers in the minors. While Hurtubise has almost no power, he’s a .295 hitter with a .434 OBP in parts of four minor league seasons. He has stolen 102 bases and has nearly as many walks as strikeouts in his professional career.
The left-handed hitter adds a contact and speed element to David Bell’s bench. Hurtubise has experience at all three outfield positions, though Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs wrote last month that he’s best served in left field.
Matt McLain Eyeing August Return From Shoulder Surgery
The Reds lost a key piece of their starting lineup just before the season began when infielder Matt McLain underwent labrum surgery back in March. As relayed by Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer, McLain recently discussed his timeline for return with reporters, although he’s still a ways away from his name appearing in the Cincinnati lineup.
Per Goldsmith, McLain indicated that he’s still six weeks away from being cleared to swing a bat, indicating he can begin ramping up in earnest in early July. Given the length of his absence, McLain will surely require a rehab assignment in the minor leagues once he’s ready to return to game action, and given that the 24-year-old said that he’s targeting a potential return to the big league Reds sometime in August, just over four months after undergoing surgery. While that timeline still puts him around three months away from big league games, McLain indicated that his rehab is going well, telling reporters (including Goldsmith) that “Right now, [he’s] in a great spot.”
McLain’s absence from the lineup has been a noticeable one for the Reds this season. The youngster was a key part of the club’s offense during his rookie campaign last season as he slashed an impressive .290/.357/.507 in 403 trips to the plate before an oblique strain ended his 2023 season at the end of August. That sort of offensive presence would be a miracle for the Cincinnati lineup this year, which has posted a lackluster 82 wRC+ that’s good for bottom-five in the majors this year despite strong performances from fellow youngsters Elly De La Cruz and Spencer Steer. Jonathan India has primarily handled the keystone in McLain’s place, but he’s struggled to a wRC+ of 83 despite solid strikeout and walk rates this season.
Reds’ Ian Gibaut Undergoes AIN Release Procedure
Reds reliever Ian Gibaut underwent an anterior interosseous nerve (AIN) release procedure this week, manager David Bell tells Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer (X link). An exact timetable for his return to the mound isn’t clear, with Bell only indicating that the hope is for Gibaut to return at some point this season.
Bell had already stated earlier in the week that Gibaut would require surgery, but the specifics wouldn’t be known until surgeons could examine the state of his hand/forearm during the course of the procedure. A standard carpal tunnel release procedure was one possibility and would’ve come with a shorter recovery period, but doctors determined while performing the operation that the AIN release was necessary.
Gibaut, 30, opened the season on the injured list with what was originally termed a forearm strain. He pitched six minor league rehab innings but walked six of his 32 opponents and plunked another pair en route to allowing five runs. That made clear that something still wasn’t right in Gibaut’s right arm, and it’s now natural to think the nerve issue led to both the forearm discomfort and the shaky command in his brief minor league stint.
As recently as last season, Gibaut emerged as a key bullpen piece for Bell. The right-hander led all Cincinnati relievers with 75 2/3 innings pitched and increasingly found himself in high-leverage spots as the season wore on. He notched a tidy 3.33 ERA, picked up 22 holds and three saves, and fanned 21.7% of his opponents against an 8.8% walk rate. As a journeyman reliever whom the Reds picked up via a waiver claim from the Guardians, Gibaut proved to be a nice under-the-radar find for the Cincinnati front office.
Gibaut was already transferred to the 60-day injured list earlier this week. He’ll continue to accrue big league service time and pay while rehabbing the injury. He’ll be arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter. The Reds can control him via arbitration through the 2027 season.
Reds Re-Sign Mike Ford To Major League Deal
2:40pm: Encarnacion-Strand is going to miss a month to six weeks, manager David Bell tells Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
2:15pm: Ford’s deal is worth $1.3MM plus incentives, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Assuming that’s prorated, he’ll make just over $1MM for the rest of the year.
1:35pm: The Reds announced Ford’s signing and the corresponding moves. Encarnacion-Strand has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right ulnar styloid fracture. It’s unclear how long they expect him to be out of action. To open a 40-man spot, lefty Brandon Williamson was transferred to the 60-day IL. He’s been on the 15-day IL all year due to shoulder soreness. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported over a week ago that Williamson will be starting a rehab assignment May 9. He’s now ineligible to be activated until late May, 60 days from his initial IL placement, but he’ll likely need a few weeks to get stretched out anyhow.
12:15pm: The Reds are bringing first baseman/designated hitter Mike Ford back to the organization — this time on a major league contract, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The ZS Sports client will join the big league roster today. Cincinnati hasn’t announced the signing and will need to open a spot on the 40-man roster before Ford’s deal can become official.
It’s the third time Ford has signed with the Reds in fewer than three months. He’s previously signed and opted out of a pair of minor league contracts. The Reds could’ve added Ford to the big league roster when he triggered his opt-out clause last Friday but instead opted to let him become a free agent and test the market. It’s clear based on the number of times they’ve signed him that the Reds like the player, however, and it seems they were willing to match or beat whatever other offers Ford found in his brief foray into early season free agency.
Ford, 31, raked at a staggering .455/.486/.727 clip with three homers in 31 spring plate appearances before opening the season with a gaudy .297/.381/.538 slash in his first 105 Triple-A plate appearances. He’s cut his strikeout rate to a manageable 19.4% and coupled it with a stout 11.4% walk rate during his short time with Louisville.
Those impressive numbers come on the heels of a .228/.323/.475 slash in 251 plate appearances with the 2023 Mariners. Ford clobbered 16 home runs and walked at a strong 9.6% clip last year, but his 32.3% strikeout rate was an obvious eyesore. It was also nothing particularly new for Ford, a former Yankees farmhand who’s long had plus power and questionable bat-to-ball skills. In 719 big league plate appearances, Ford is a career .211/.309/.418 hitter. He’s actually hit fellow lefties better than righties, albeit in a small sample of 108 plate appearances compared to 611 plate appearances against righties.
Ford’s addition to the roster comes at a time when both Christian Encarnacion-Strand is struggling and when fellow lefty DH option Nick Martini has already been optioned to the minors. Encarnacion-Strand has been the primary first baseman in Cincinnati, logging 29 games at the position, but he’s flailed his way to a .190/.220/.293 slash in 123 plate appearances. Encarnacion-Strand has long had contact issues and sub-par walk rates, but this year’s 28.5% strikeout rate and microscopic 3.3% walk rate underscore that worrisome approach at the plate.
Ford will give the Reds a lefty-swinging alternative at first base or perhaps simply a regular option in the DH slot. The Reds have used a wide cast of characters there, but Ford could offer more stability in that role. If Cincinnati goes that route, one solution could be to option the struggling Will Benson (.191/.273/.391, 41.6% strikeout rate) and go with a regular outfield of Spencer Steer, TJ Friedl and Jake Fraley.
Cubs Acquire Jake Wong From Reds
The Cubs acquired minor league right-hander Jake Wong from the Reds late last week, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. He is not on the 40-man roster. The 27-year-old made his organizational debut with Double-A Tennessee.
Wong entered the professional ranks as a third-round pick of the Giants in 2018. Cincinnati acquired him as the player to be named later in an offseason trade that sent Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol to San Francisco. The Reds called Wong up for one appearance at the end of June. He allowed three runs in as many innings working in relief against the Orioles. Cincinnati outrighted him off the 40-man roster not long after.
The Grand Canyon product struggled in the upper levels of the minors with Cincinnati. Wong pitched to a 5.17 ERA over 47 Double-A frames. He had a particularly tough time in Triple-A, where he allowed more than a run per inning while walking more hitters (18.1%) than he struck out (12.8%). That’s a season he’ll obviously look to put behind him. Wong had better numbers in High-A while a member of the San Francisco organization back in 2022, turning in a 4.52 ERA while punching out more than a quarter of opposing hitters.
